Simon & Marceline
by aimsknight06
Summary: This is a long story of how the two lived before during and after each other's company.
1. Chapter 1: The Crown

It's been roughly a week since I've seen Betty. What happened?

I stare to the wretched thing on my table. A glittering crown. Oh, why had I ever come in contact with such a wicked object?

I look at the clock. Three more hours until nighttime fully settles in Moscow. I glance to my hands. The fingertips and the flesh under the nails have begun to turn pale. I take out the thermometer from my mouth and gawk at the numbers 23 degrees Celsius reflected on the little screen.

Oh dear, oh dear.

My dear Betty, if you'd come back to me... Maybe if you did, I'd be able to push past this... Not be crazy...

No, what am I thinking? I pushed her away. And she'd probably be safer from me anyway. Everyone should just stay away. Away from whatever this piece of jewelry turns me into...

_"Ice King... Come to the... life of … of SNOW"_

No, NO! I shake my head furiously and temporarily dispel the visions and voices. They slowly return however, and with more tremendous persistence. I curl into a ball on my chair and rock ceaselessly.

Nonononononononononono...


	2. Chapter 2: The War

It's gotten much worse since then. The visions, the muttering, the chants... They won't stop!

What am I to do...?

My hair has grown at rates beyond human, and my skin has regretfully begun to blue. My temperature has dropped drastically and I fear for those even remotely around me. For I seem to bring bouts of frost in my presence.

The voices whisper...

_Ice... Frost covers the world... A world of... Snow, and ice... I will protect you..._

Protect me? Protect me from what? The only danger to me right now is the crown itself! Honestly, these voices used to cease once I stopped wearing the crown. But they now go on unceasing. I can only scream to hear myself talk as of now. I made these video diaries in hopes to be able to watch them someday when I'm free of this curse and laugh at the hilarity and ridicule of it all.

But I'm beginning to fear it will never come to pass...

I've run many tests. It appears the crown has some kind of a consciousness. I don't know if I'm being possessed or not, but I'm very afraid. It has altered my appearance to that of an old man. My hair has become white and I'm merely in my thirties.

Betty... I miss you... My _princess_...

Remember how we'd walk along the beaches in the Crimea, my fiance? Hand in hand... Smiling and laughing at corny jokes...

We've worked on so much in the occult libraries. Yet none of that is of use to me now, for I've never encountered a magic of this caliber... I'm afraid it's grip on me will only grow as I slip into new levels of insanity.

Why could I not say goodbye to you?

I only remember seeing you gasp once the crown was on. Then, moments after I thought I blacked out, you were gone. And it was snowing.

Perhaps you left that crazy me... I can't blame you. But maybe I will see you again after I've gotten away from this crown's power.

Yet I could wish... That I may learn to harness it's power. Maybe with this thing's promised powers, I could solve the world's problems... Like the current Mushroom War. Fears have spread that the enemy has accumulated a truly horrifying weapon of death.

I've heard it named after the undead king. The Lich Bomb... Truly horrible warfare...


	3. Chapter 3: The Plan

"Mommy!"

"Oh, Marceline!"

"It hurts, Mommy," The little girl holds out a blistered palm, "The light... Why does it hurt?"

The woman smiled and held her daughter's hand. Under the shade, the wound recovered quickly.

"Mommy, why are pretty things... Why can't I touch them?" The little girl's lower lip begins to quiver and she looks confused amongst tears.

Her mother smiles ruefully. Her daughter is considerably paler than even her fair skin. She kisses the previously plighted spot on the little hand and looks the little girl in the eye.

"You can touch pretty things, Marceline. Just... not in the 'light'."

Marceline gives a funny look, "But things are so dull at night. Sunny light is what gives 'color'!"

"And what's your favorite color, hm?"

"Nn... Red!"

"And why is that?"

"... That's Mommy's favorite color too right?"

"Oh, Marceline..." She hugs her treasure close.

The ground suddenly rumbles as a split in the earth echoes with debris flying in several directions. It startles the two under the beech tree's shade. The mother grips Marceline's little self into her own body in fear. Marceline's eyes grow wide at this forever-awing spectacle.

Black smoke belches from the red coals bordering an opening to a literal hell. Voices of the tormented and suffering echo and the light of flames is visible through embers encircling the schism.

Emerging from the abyss is the lord of the Nightosphere, Hunson Abadeer.

He sees his wife and daughter crouched a few paces from his appearance and strides towards them in a calm manner.

"Dear, why is it everytime I come to pick up Marceline that I find you holding on for dear life?"

"Hunson..." The mother's voice quavers, "You could hurt her... erupting out of nowhere."

"Now, now, we all know that even if she did fall or whatever, she's part demon! She'd never die that easily!" The father laughs at the concern as though he'd just been asked about the significance of a dead fly.

"Now, come, Marceline"

Marceline lets go of her mother and takes her father's outstretched hand obediently. Her mother looks on with a worried expression on her face. Hunson waves.

"Don't worry! She'll be back by nighttime!"

The two step into the gaping hole and are enveloped as the ground recovers and all that's left is a patch of dried dirt. The woman silently weeps as though it was her last days of happiness.

…

Marceline was indeed a demon. But she acted like her human mother. Her handmaidens given by her father were baffled at her interest in playing with dolls and not destroying or tearing their heads. She disliked the air of chaos in the Nightosphere. The shrieks and screams of agony and unruly demons were a nuisance to her, but music to her father's ears.

Hunson looked for ways to train his daughter to grow up to rule the Nightosphere. The demons needed a ruthless ruler, willing to punish the most frivolous crime. (Not to mention twist around wishes about stuff like abs for a head.)

He tried to awaken a demonic rage from her by arranging play-dates with young delinquents. She watched documentaries on the Nightosphere's chaotic history and grew fangs. However, Hunson still found it unsatisfactory.

So he'd bide his time. Sooner or later, an event would have to trigger the demonic blood within the little body. She will be fit to rule as the next Abadeer.

But her mother would never allow it, would she?


	4. Chapter 4: The Lich

I had moved to San Francisco for a break. I thought the warm weather here would restrain the crown better than in Moscow. Betty lived here in America before she moved to Russia and became my fiancée...

I stare down at my cocoa sullenly and envision her standing beside me. Like this is all a bad dream. But no such luck...

Slowly, slowly, I bring the hot mug of cocoa to my lips. Suddenly, sirens burst my ears and the cocoa goes splaying all over the floor. Without time to be angry, I turn frightened to the sound.

It's an air raid.

I can't have this be so soon! As I begin packing for departure to the shelter, the crown suddenly fills me with a surge of pain. Immobilized by this strange reaction, I lie still, but conscious. Ice and frost crawl from my fingers and form a frost shadow of me on the floor. It continues spreading onto the walls and into my library.

"Stop... What are you doing...?!"

The voices become one, as though to answer my cries, "_We foresee a world... only you can save... Cover it... become... Snow and Ice..."_

To my horror, my white beard grows even longer than before. And my hair, too. I suddenly feel a gnawing sensation as my teeth begin to form into canines and my skin began to turn a pale blue.

Oh, mother...! This is it...

Frost slithers over the panes of the window overlooking the city. Before they completely cover the glass, I glimpse a green flash and black coils rising from the horizon. Then I felt the rumbles beneath the floorboards. Betty's photo frame slides to me in the shock wave. I grasp it for all the good it would do me.

With ice chips raining down as the building began collapsing, I whisper my final prayer:

"_I love you..."_

…

"Ow!" Marceline trips on a rock. Her mother rushes to her side to find a scraped knee.

"Oh, Marceline, you need to be more careful..." She pulls out a wet cloth and gently dabs the scratched skin.

"It wasn't me. The earth was moving." The little girl sniffs as her mother tends to her.

"What? Moving?"

"It's like when Daddy comes and it's all like... What is that!?"

The little girl gesticulates wildly to an evil green hue that now illuminates the sky. Dark clouds and green fumes block out the blue sky. A high pitched moan can be perceived as Marceline's mother throws her body over her daughter's. A searing light pierces the skies as the world is suddenly gripped by tremors and ghouls.

"MOMMY-"

...

A green flash that signaled the end of the world.


	5. Chapter 5: Abandonment and Meeting

I see a horned master of death. His bottom jaw hangs a rotten bone and his eyes are hollow fires. He bears the ancient rags of clothing and an army of destruction. I see the shadows and remnants of the Lich Bomb. There are no survivors for miles. Strange creatures accompany this new order... humans morphed by Apocalypse...

"Ugh..."

I roll to my side as my head rings with a ceaseless howl. Then I realize that's not my head.

Above me, there is a crack in the room, showing a sky streaked with smoke and green apparitions. I don't know if I'm dreaming. The last I remember is... the crown!

I feel the weight on my head. Oh, mother, it's still there.

I look around the remnants of the building. Ice has encased everything around me in a twenty meter radius, about. My research was preserved in a frozen room next to where I was sitting.

Shaking my head and reeling from the disturbing dream, I gather my bag from the floor. I can't stay here. Packing a sleeping bag, toothbrush and other necessities, I make my mind to find other survivors. My heart sinks, however, at the possibility that no human could have survived this bomb. Me? Well, I've well surpassed those boundaries thanks to this thing.

I was thinking about leaving it when it dawns me that it _did_ in fact save me. Hesitating, and pulled by a strange force, I eventually decide to take it with me. Despite it's negative influence on my sanity, perhaps it will help me stay alive in this cataclysm.

Once I finish packing, I hop out the window, as the stairs were obliterated, and land on a broken concrete tile. I survey my new surroundings. The city is in utter ruins. And far away, I hear the groans of those monsters the crown showed me.

A sense of urgency propels me in a random direction. The bag weighs me down, and so does this new found loneliness. I may be the last person alive in the city, if not the continent. Cursed Lich Bomb...

Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't hear the wails of a little girl. I stop in my tracks and, ignoring all risks, run in the direction of a possible survivor.

"Daddy... Daddy..." She says.

…

Marceline blinks at the gray and dark sky. She reflexively grasps her hand. She's alive. Nothing's broken, either.

A shadow bends over her and she recognizes the face of her father, Hunson. He isn't smiling, but he's not concerned either.

Marceline sits up and sees a limp figure in his arms.

"Mommy? Where's Mommy?"

"..."

"Mommy!" Marceline pulls on the hand hanging from Hunson's arms, "Mommy?"

Hunson kneels low enough so Marceline can see the body's face, untouched by the explosion. Despite the explosion, Hunson had appeared in time to ward off the heat. But she'd died from the radiation.

"Mommy! Wake up! Daddy!" Marceline looks up to her father's indifferent face with desperation. In tears, she wails as though her mother were merely asleep.

"Mommy! MOMMY!"

Hunson suddenly breaks into a toothy smile and almost laughs. HE looks at his daughter hungrily.

"Marceline, say goodbye," The little girl's eyes widen in disbelief, "I'm going to take mommy and go home. We'll be waiting for you."

"What? Daddy..." The little girl stretches a helpless hand to the new figure before her. What was happening...?

"I'm expecting great things from you Marceline," Hunson opens a portal nearby, "So try not to disappoint me, okay?"

"DADDYYY!"

Marceline runs toward the figure in the closing portal. In a flash, her parents are gone. She stands alone amongst rubble, flaming cars, and acrid air.

Tears flowing down her cheeks as she repeats a mantra to willfully summon her father back,

"Daddy.. Daddy... Daddy..."

…

She stands crying in a clearing of the broken city. I hesitate in approach.

_What if I freeze her? What if I scare her away?_

I notice her abnormally pale pigment. She's probably not human. And she really needs a guardian right now.

Ignoring the possible disasters, I rush up to her and wipe her face. She seems astonished as though I were her fairy godparent out of nowhere. But she still looks scared.

I scan for some sort of comfort and spy a toy store. Well, no one will be needing this place anymore, so I walk over to the broken display where a mountain of plushies lay on the floor. I pick up a bear with purple button eyes and return to the little girl. She lights up after she has it in her hands. I smile as well.

"Who are you?"

"I'm..." _ICE KING _"Simon Pertikov."

"...Can I call you Simon?"

I chuckle. I can see her unnaturally sharp canines.

"Well, what's your name then?"

"Marceline."

"Well, then. I'll call you Marcy and you call me Simon. Sound good?"

She nods and holds my hand. Her hands were cold, but a warmth flowed from contact I was deprived of for a long time.

We walk towards, well, wherever we'll end up in this dump. But it's good to finally have company.


	6. Chapter 6: The Promise We Make

"So, where' your parents, Marcy?"

"I don't know," She sniffs, "Daddy took Mommy home. She was tired... and sleeping..."

I wonder about her abandonment. From the details, her father seems like an eccentric and very estranged parent. Her mother, I assume, is dead. She has yet to realize.

Well, I decided I wouldn't tell her and just watch her for now, or at least until I could find someone more equipped to take care of her. I fear scaring her off too. The crown doesn't seem to like me socializing with others.

"Well, we better get moving, Marcy." I pull the little girl's attention from the smoking city. She instinctively hugs the bear I gave her. She named it Hambo. I didn't ask.

The grass outside the city was golden. The forests nearby seemed to have enlarged. Gray clouds still hung about overhead, but at least that greenish flow was gone. To where, I wouldn't know. But I'm afraid it may have spread to other parts of the world. And if it did kill every person it came in contact with... No, I mustn't think of... Betty...

"So, Marcy, what do you say we start looking for lunch?"

"Hmm... Sounds good."

The radiation from the bomb may have contaminated the trees. So I try some fruit before actually harvesting. Of course, I got a big stomachache, not from the radiation, but from a worm. Marcy finds some bird eggs and we settle for a meager meal. I thought to myself, so this is how it's like to live after the apocalypse.

…

I'm getting less sleep than a person usually needs. In my dreams, I see haunting visions of Betty, the Lich, and disturbing demons from this little girl I barely know.

"No...No, NO!"

"Simon!"

I wake to the tugging of my jacket collar. Marcy sits on my chest, her hands let go of my shirt. She looked rattled, and I knew why.

"Marcy... uh, go back to sleep."

"Simon, you were screaming... my name, and some other person... Who's Betty?"

"Oh..." For a minute, I lose grip of the few memories left of my fiance, "...She was... is a woman I love."

Marcy looks at me understandingly, "Are you going to look for her?"

I think to myself and, wanting comfort, deny the obvious reality of never seeing Betty again. For if I do, it will only be a cold, dead shell of the woman I loved so much. I couldn't bear it.

"Yes. I want to find her... and tell her I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Marceline looks at me quizzically, "For what?"

I wonder if she's ever really understood or experienced apology.

"I... did something I shouldn't have done."

"..."

I curl up and cover my face with my bony hands. The feeling of regret and guilt well up within for something I did that I wasn't even aware of! I feel a pull on my arms as Marcy pulls my hands. Her eyes were hollow, but reflected a sense of calm and forgiving nature.

"Simon... is a good person," She says slowly, "Whatever you did... you didn't mean it did you?"

"No... Marcy... I'm not a good person."

"But you're here now."

She smiled innocently, a red hue was present on her pale cheeks. The sight of such innocence made me shudder. A warmth spread sickly in my body, but I felt too frozen, and began to melt.

"Smile for me, Marcy."

I pull out my trusty Polaroid. Marcy looks confused as I click the shutter. As the photo develops, I let her look at the camera.

"What's it for?"

"It captures moments in time. See?" I show her the photo.

"WOOOWWW..." She gapes at the little square film, "Is it... magic?"

"Haha... Yep, I'm a magician! Wooo..." I twiddle my fingers and wave my arms, pretending to cast a spell, "Alakazam!"

_Click_, goes the shutter. I flap the paper and look at the new photo of Marcy and Hambo.

We both enjoy a good laugh from the whole magic biz, but then my head began throbbing.

"...Ugh...?" I saw a surge of colorful apparitions dance before my eyes. Knowing these were merely visions, illusions of the crown, I swatted at them. They spoke in a moaning voice that seemed whole.

_"Ice wizard... Yes, you're an... ice wizard..."_

"No... NO! Stay away from me!"

I hear Marceline whimper. I blink several times before my vision adjusts. The color drains away as I uneasily settle back to reality. I see that I had unwittingly fallen into another one of my insane fits. Marceline stares with eyes of fear.

"M-Marcy... I... What was I... I... I'm so sorry..." I stumble over to her, "See? I won't hurt you..."

I extend my open hand. She flinches slightly, but grasps it tightly and hugs my waist. She muffles her sobs of relief in my coat. I can only hug her back, offering no promises.

…

"Marcy..."

"Yeah, Simon?"

"I... I've been thinking..." I look up to the clouded night. It was without stars.

"What do you think of... If I couldn't..." I sigh deeply, unable to speak my mind, "If I ever go crazy again, I want you to leave me."

Marceline turns over in her sleeping bag, startled by my sudden proposition.

"Simon... Why would I leave you?"

"I-It's not safe to be near me... or the crown. You know, it's because of this power that Betty left me..." I shudder thinking about the ordeal she must've undertaken, seeing my deranged self, "It's dangerous, Marcy. And I don't want to hurt anyone anymore..."

"No," I was surprised by the austere voice, "I choose to stay with Simon."

I look up and she her kneeling at my head. She lays down next to me and makes a pinky hook.

"Let's always explore together, Simon. No matter where we go, no matter how crazy you get, I'll stay with you."

I felt a lump form in my throat at these sentiments. I had only wished Betty would have said the same thing and not run off. Reluctantly, I join in on the deal.

"Alright, Marcy."

"Pinky Promise."

She fell asleep soon after, with nothing to watch. I lay awake pondering how much time I had left until this promise would break... until I lose "myself".

_I'm sorry, Marcy..._

I felt tinges of regret surface from making such a ridiculous promise. One I knew I wouldn't be able to keep.

But a spark of hope had arisen. I would spend many, many moments with Marceline. Happy ones, sad ones, funny ones, moments and fragments of the flowing time I would cherish. Even after I turn insane.

I turn on my side and feel the lush grass brush my face. The tingly night dew smell is refreshing, and I feel a giddiness, knowing I'd be able to have a sound sleep session tonight. My eyelids grow drowsy and I take one last look at the starless sky. The moon shows, and I pray for many more peaceful nights to come.


	7. Chapter 7: Songs on the Road

"Walking amongst piles of rubbish... What may we find today? Toodle-looty-doo..."

Marceline giggles at my ad-libbing.

"Hahaha... you're so silly, Simon. Okay, now it's my turn."

She takes a moment to think of lyrics as she kicks a can.

"Kicking a can, it's not much fun... but..." She kicks it to my feet, "It's always fun with friends."

I chuckle and return the can for a make-believe game. After a while, we sent it flying over a ledge and into a trash can bordering the city streets.

"YAY! Jackpot!" I squat down and we high-five.

She then turns to look down at the place where the can rolled down.

"Simon... what is that place?"

"You... You've never went into the city before, Marcy?"

She shakes her head thoughtfully, "Mommy only took me to her house. But I've never been to the parts like a 'city'."

I guess she doesn't quite grasp the meaning of a metropolis. If she'd only been confined to a small place, it'd make sense that she wouldn't recognize West Avenue.

"Well, maybe we'll go in and look around sometime, huh?"

"..."

"What's wrong, Marcy?"

She face crumpled, "M-Mommy..."

I got on my knees as she cried into my vest. I remember I found her in the city... It must harbor a cesspit of memories for her about her mother.

"I... I'm sorry, Marcy."

She sniffed as I wiped her eyes dry, "I... Mommy promised the same thing... That she'd take m-me somewhere nice, a-and we-we'd get ice cream..."

"Well... We can still do that sometime...!" I try my best to sound hopeful.

She looks at me doubtfully. I shouldn't expect her to believe me. I can barely think of returning to the city either. The radiation from the bomb makes it dangerous, though I'm not sure to what degree I'm protected. I touch the crown hinged on my belt. And what about Marcy?

"Simon...?"

"On, no... I'm just thinking... Yeah, we will go to the San Francisco Mall sometime, okay?"

She laughs, "Okay, but what's San Francisco?"

"It's the name of the city, Marcy. I used to live here too."

"I wonder if we'll find anyone else in there..."

I cringe at the thought of carnage. A slew of human bodies and blood, pooling in the city. Some charred to ash, others blistered from the heat... And we still don't know if the 'Lich' is there. The crown showed me his arrival, though I can't be sure. But something definitely roils within the city. Radiation can do horrible things.

_Is it just you and me... in the wreckage of the world?_

Unbeknownst to me, a tear had slipped from my right eye. Marceline noticed it silently, and gazed upon the city that still smoked, two days into the aftermath of the bomb.


	8. Chapter 8: Memories On Tape

I carefully assemble the tripod and position the camera. VCR recorders are so bulky...

"Ready, Marcy?"

"What is that?"

She looks into the lens curiously, "More magic?"

"No, Marceline. It's a recorder."

"Looks like a skinny, three-legged cyclops." I laugh at the simile.

"It's used to capture moments, like the camera, but it can make it move."

She cocks her head to the side in confusion.

"Here, I'll show you."

I put it on record and jump in front of it. Marceline stifles her laughter as I do the chicken dance. She bursts out laughing after I finish. I stop the recording.

"T-That...That was so funny...Hahaha...!"

Tears streak down her cheeks as she clutches her sides in unceasing laughter. I smile and take a picture of her joy. At the sudden flash, she begins to sober a little.

"Okay, okay... So? How does it look like?"

I show her the tape on the recorder, since I don't have a VCR player. She begins laughing all over again as she watches me dance.

"I...I think I get it now..." She says, gasping for breath.

"Hmm?" I slowly replace my items in my bag.

"They're like 'photos'... but happier...funnier."

"Hm... Yeah, I guess you could say that. These are called 'tapes'. But I'll label this one 'My Dance', so we'll remember, eh?"

"Hee hee... 'Simon's Silly Dance'."

"And you know, Marcy... We-We could make a lot of these. I still have some time left in them. We should make a tape with the two of us. Fun, right?"

"Yeah..." She clasps Hambo and gazes at the cloudy sky, "And Hambo."

"And Hambo." I repeat.

She lays quiet for a while, and I follow her gaze to the dreary sky. The explosion had nicked up so much clod and earth that those clouds could take years to clear up. No more rain, or sun. Or snow.

I remember, back in Moscow, I'd somehow conjure snowstorms on the city. I had been wearing the crown normally then. The voices still call out to me, always. They tell me to freeze everything...

My thoughts are interrupted by Marceline thinking aloud, "I think..."

"I think even without the tape... I would remember this, Simon."

"Really? Even when you're a thousand?"

Marcy giggles at the idea of living a millennium, "Yeah, because it's so... so fun."

"Fun?"

She turns over on her side, "I... I would never get to play like this with Mommy. It's only now, that the sun's out, that I can play with you, Simon."

So she burns in the sun? Or something like that? She's been locked up all this time because she can't contact sunlight?

"...We'll have a lot of good memories, Marceline. I promise."

She smiles and looks at me, then down at Hambo,"Mommy said that when something is really happy, or funny... You'll remember it forever."

I smile. Even with this crown eroding at my sanity... I want to remember these moments too. That's why the tapes are so important. If I can't remember... I need some remnant. Any physical proof of my existence with this new happiness. Yes, proof... Proof that Simon Petrikov did indeed exist... And he was happy with this little girl.


	9. Chapter 9: Looking for You

"Simon, what're these- WHOA!"

Marceline falls backwards and drops the binoculars.

"Oh, Marcy," I help her up and retrieve the binoculars, "Don't go poking around my stuff to much alright? There's some complex items that only I can use..."

"What was that? I could see the mountain peaks!"

"They're, um, binoculars."

"Rhinoculers?"

"No, no. They help you see far away."

"Hmm... How far?"

"Uhh... These are pretty jacked up. Probably can only see a mile or two..."

She looks thought fully into the woods. I check the binoculars' lens to make sure nothing cracked.

"How long has it been, Simon? Since we've been traveling?"

"Hmm... About four-five days."

"...Daddy still hasn't come for me."

I perk up at the mention of her father. I could imagine an eccentric baron who viewed people as nothing more than tools. But I'd never asked actually Marcy about him. All I know is he carried away his wife and abandoned Marceline in the midst of rubble where I found her.

"Marcy... Why did your Daddy abandon you?"

As if in response, she curled up into fetal position and fell silent. Hambo was still firmly in her grasp.

"Um, Marcy, I'm sorry... was it sensitive?"

"I don't know..." She moaned, facing away from me, "I want to see him. I want my Mommy... I want to see them again!"

She's gone through a lot of family complications, it seems. I can't fathom as to why her father would toss her aside. Maybe he had a reason like I would, but I would hate myself indefinitely for it. Does he regret it?

"Daddy lives, sniff, far away. I thought I could see him with those."

These? The binoculars? I fancy the thought of looking halfway around the world through these lenses.

"But it's okay."

"Hunh?"

"You're here, Simon."

…

As night falls, I sit on the grassy hill just outside city perimeter with Marcy's head on my lap. I look up to long for the night sky that seems so foreign now. If only I could see the sunset... or the stars...

"Simon, where did all the stars go?"

"Oh... They were, uh, all scared away with the sun... by the bomb!" I wave my hands for a horror effect.

Marcy smiles ruefully at the clouds, "I was only able to see the stars and the moon... because I could only come out at night."

"Why is that, Marcy?"

"...I don't know. Sunlight only hurts me."

I wonder at the possibilities of what pathogen could possibly render her feeble in the sunlight. But I guess she's not human anyway.

"Simon, can we go into San Francisco tomorrow?"

I look down at her red hued eyes that reflect my stare.

Cupping her face in my bluish hands, I reply, "Of course."


	10. Chapter 10: The First Signs

It's so dark. The road is so warm, but it's a furnace on the other end.

It's hot... It's dark...

The darkness clears up and I stand at a pier in Russia, with Betty at my side. A toothless, old Scandinavian seafarer holds a bundle in his arms that I take into my hands. The package is all too familiar... It's the CROWN.

"No...NO!"

I hurl the crown as hard as I can off the pier. Only now am I aware it's a dream. Betty melts away as I gape in horror at the blurring of the dreamscape. A glare of some huge shadow looms over my collapsing world as walls suddenly erupt from all directions, blocking my escape.

"No...! I won't let you- You can't take everything away from me!"

Come on, wake up, wake up...

The labyrinth enclosed me thoroughly for the shadow to fully scrutinize on me with it's three red eyes. At my feet, the crown suddenly poked out. On instinct, I lashed it on and felt a strange new power course through me. It was stronger than I remember...

Focusing the power at my fingers, I unleash a blast of freezing cold at the shadow. At everywhere. I didn't want anything else...

The snow settled, and I tried to pry the crown off. But it was stuck, as I feared. As the air became clearer from the snow, I realize with horror what I had just done.

Before me lies the vast land of Earth, covered in frost. And just a few paces in front of me is a small shape frozen over. Trembling, I approach it with dread filling me every step.

Wiping away the snow clustered on the ice, I scream at the sight of Marceline's face encased in ice. I trip trying to back away from the atrocity I committed... My throat can't seem to stop emitting a hollow sound of regretful loneliness.

"No-NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…

"Simon! St-STOOOPPP!"

He doesn't respond. His eyes are white and he's mumbling under his breath. The crown atop his head glows eerily as he emanates a chilliness, freezing the area around him.

Just a few moments ago, he was just having a fitful sleep. Then he put on the crown in a dreamlike daze and suddenly began screaming nonsense. He just stands there, slowly freezing the earth. I back away from the creeping frost as it slithers over blades of grass.

"Simon! Simon, STOP!"

Something flickers in the air around him as I see his pupils return and his mumbling escalates to loud grunts as he wrestles the crown off his head. It falls to the floor, chipping some ice. He collapses, grasping his cranium in pain and moaning.

"Simon!" I run to him, "Simon! What were you doing?"

"Huh? I...Uh..." He struggles to speak with coherence, "What... What was I..."

He gasps as if in realization, "Marcy! Marcy, are you hurt?"

"N-No... You just froze the ground. What was that anyway?"

He glances at the crown, then stares at the frost in disbelief.

"Did I..."

"You just suddenly put it on and began freezing up the place."

"What? No... I- I thought I had more control... I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No, but, Simon..." I glance at the crown cautiously, "Maybe we should get rid of that..."

"No... That won't do, Marcy..."

"What? Why not?"

He doesn't answer, but stares into his bluish palms. His eyes reflected fear and helplessness. As I try to comfort him, he pushes me away.

"Don't... Don't come near me, Marcy. It's dangerous..."

His words sting. I feel lumps begin forming in my throat. He was in pain...

"Simon..."

"No, Marcy... Just... Just go back to sleep alright? I... I need sometime to think."

Desperate, I grasp the tail of his jacket, "Simon, don't leave me..."

…

I watch her plead as tears slid down her cheeks and I felt raw emotion gnaw away at my heart. So I say what is necessary to stop it:

"Don't worry, I'll be here when you wake up. I'm not going anywhere."

"...Really?" She honestly cannot believe me.

"Yeah. I promise."

"Pinky Promise?"

She extends her pinky in a familiar gesture. I complete the ritual, smiling.

"Yes, Pinky Promise."

That seemed to satisfy her a bit as she smiled a little sadly and curled up with Hambo in her sleeping bag. I sit in the nearby grass that wasn't frozen, a safe distance away.

I look at my hands and remember freezing the world. And Marceline with it. I shudder at the thought and peer over my shoulder to where the glittering headpiece lay on the frozen grass. I remember the labyrinth and the influence this thing has on me.

I don't want to hurt anymore people. This power... takes me unawares, and when it does... I can't fathom the thought of hurting Marcy. I'd grown to love her, attached to her. If I could ever meet Betty again... Marcy would be my daughter...

The best choice would be to leave her. But for who? Leave her her in this forsaken wasteland for who-knows-what? I sigh heavily and run a hand through my white hair. No, I won't leave her. Because I want to save her. So I will have to learn to earn control over this crown. Because I don't want to leave her.

_I'm losing myself... and I want to save you..._


	11. Chapter 11: Tangles

"Hold on, Simon! Almost there..."

"Ow! Watch where you poke that... Oof, I knew this was a bad idea."

Me and Simon went trekking around the city, like he said we would. We were entering a store that was overrun with vines. He got tangled trying to get through and I tried using a rod to loosen the bondage.

"Whew..." Simon picks off a leaf from his shoulder, "Thanks, Marcy."

I giggle, remembering how funny he looked all tangled. He ruffles my hair, probably knowing why I was laughing.

"Alright, let's look around shall we?"

He holds my hand as we walk through the dimly lit premises. Simon says to hold hands so we don't get lost or separated. I held hands with Daddy, but his hands were cold. Simon's were lukewarm.

"What's in this place, Simon?" I glance around at broken lights in the ceiling and scattered boxes all over the cracked tiles of flooring.

"It's a grocery, Marcy. It has food, and drinks. Like, ooh, look at this!"

He approaches a white shelf that feels slightly cold. He reaches in and pulls out a packaged chicken. But it was green. And fuzzy.

"Uhh, Simon? It's green."

"Oh, you're right. Eugh," He sticks his tongue out and puts the chicken back, "Well, how about this?"

He takes a sealed bottle off the shelf. It's red and labeled "Coca Cola".

"This is soda. Try it."

He pops off the cap and takes a swig. He offers it to me. I sniff it cautiously and sip it. It was really sweet.

"Whoa. It's really sweet..."

"Yeah. A little too sweet, right?" I nod in agreement.

Simon picked up a few more items before we left the grocery. As we left, I noticed Simon's shoulder height. It was about two heads higher than me. I wonder how long it will be before I grow to be as tall as Simon.

…

As our mixture of "condensed milk" and water boiled in a pot over our campfire, Simon sang heartily. His songs are so good.

"Sittin' with friends, it's really all that ma-a-a-ters..."

I clap. He takes a dramatic bow and sits back down, staring into the fire.

"I'm... sorry about what happened last night. I had a bad dream and... in it, I hurt you..."

"Hm..." I poke a stick at the fire pensively, "You'd never do it in real life, though, right?"

He shifts uncomfortably and averts his gaze. His index finger brushes over the crown hanging by his side.

"This crown, Marcy... I can't explain it... But it keeps me alive... And makes me crazy. It tells me to freeze... everything."

I cock my head, not quite comprehending. The crown looks more like a prop than any magical item I could think of. He notices my confusion and tells me not to worry about it.

"You know," I say as the pot simmers, "I had a bad dream too."

"...About your Daddy?"

I nod, "Mm-hmm. And Mommy, too. They were both there, when the bomb hit. I couldn't call for them... And they just... melted..."

"And, and... I saw you too, Simon. Only, you were weird... You had green eyes and horns... And you wanted to eat me...!"

I sat up with a jolt and stare across the fire at Simon, who is dumbstruck by my revelation.

"...Do I... Scare you, Marcy?"

"N-NO! Simon! I... I love you!"

He smiles, a little sad, and announces the milk is ready. He ladles out our portions without another word and we sit, sipping our milky soup.

"Simon?"

I look across the fire. He continues sipping, but I know he heard me.

"...I'm sorry."

He looks up, "Marcy, it's just- I'd hate for you to get hurt by being near me. It's dangerous, and-" He pauses and looks at the milk, deep I thought.

"I promised I'd stay with you, Simon. I'm not scared." I try to sound as confident as possible.

He smiles wistfully, "Oh yeah, I never asked... How old are you?"

"Seven."

"Hoo, well, I'm 47... heh, I feel kinda old."

He collects the dishware and rolls out his sleeping bag.

"Erm... Why don't you go to sleep first, Marcy?"

"What? Simon, I sleep better with you."

"I'll just sit here, see?" He pats the area by the bag, "I'll be fine, don't worry."

I reluctantly climb into the bag and hug Hambo. Then I hold onto Simon's hand. They're chillier than I remember. I grasp them tightly and drift slowly into sleep.

"Simon... I ...love..._ you_."


	12. Chapter 12: Starry Sky Hope

"_I love you."_

Betty landed a gentle kiss on me as we teasingly twirled at the seaside. Pedestrians passed, some with jealous expressions, others flushed.

"Oh, I'm so glad it was all a dream..."

"What was?"

"The Lich bomb! You know! I had the crown...and, and Marceline! Marcy! Marcy!" I frantically swivel my head in all directions, "Where are you? I want you to meet Betty!"

"Who?" The voice was slightly garbled, but I took no notice.

"She's a little girl I met. Her parents left her, so I thought she could join our family..."

"Oh, but Simon..."

A slobbery feeling fell splat on my shoulder as a melting human hand slathered gunk onto my jacket. I looked at the gaping hollow in the horrid face melting before my eyes. The ugly mouth contorted into a malicious grin.

"This is all a dream, right?"

"NO!"

I kick off my sleeping cover and force my eyes awake at the sound of my own voice. Shuddering, I take deep breaths as I calm down. I roll over a bit to check on Marcy. She's still asleep. I sigh with relief.

Unable and unwilling to return to the nightmares so soon, I sit by Marcy and stroke her hair. She mumbles slightly and occasionally grimaces. Guess we both got intense night terrors. I look up to the sky, still cloudy but seemingly clear and starless.

I think back to my days in the antiquarian society. We discussed subjects of the most trivial matter. A simple coin from the Southern Americas could easily become a subject of dispute. Despite being of a scientific background, some in our circle did believe in the existence of magic. Until know I would have disregarded the idea as frivolous.

Still, it was the job of that circle that bought me to this thing. I shift my glance nervously to crown, expecting it to pounce any moment. I can't seem to shake the feeling that it grips me, and keeps me safe... No, don't think that way, think of all the things this thing has taken from you, Simon! Your future, your humanity, Betty...

Noticing a smudge, I remove my glasses to clean them. My vision was so clear, yet warbled with the crown's visions. I hastily proceed to wipe them and notice the cracks and scratches on the left lens. I sigh.

A nearby puddle of water was our present privy. I went to relieve myself and saw my reflection. White eyes, sharp teeth, white hair and beard, and skin too pale it was blue. I'm a menace, I thought miserably.

What... What if the crown tries to take Marceline from me too? I remember that horrifying dream of the frosted landscape... It's only too possible that I would lose myself. The crown... wants me to itself... I keep having these dreams, seeing these visions, hearing the voice of the accursed crown...

"...Simon?"

I turn around in shock (Thankfully, I'd zipped my pants). Marcy rubbed her eyes sleepily as she yawned.

"I was scared, when you weren't there."

"Now, now, Marcy. I promised, didn't I?"

A slow _whoosh _could be heard from all directions. I looked up and I saw it.

The Sky.

Marcy looked up too, and I saw her eyes twinkle at the familiar spots of twinkling starlight dotting the night. The clouds had parted briefly. I glimpsed the Big Dipper.

"Hurry, Marcy! The camera!" She darts swiftly and retrieves my Polaroid.

I take a shot at the crack in the monotonous clouds. The stark contrast made for a brief moment that was so rare and cherished. It was like a sign that things would soon become normal again.

When the clouds returned to their eternal positions, Marcy looked up to me with hopeful eyes.

"We saw stars... Think we'll see the moon?"

I flap the new photo and look at it's development. I smile.

"Yeah. Definitely.


	13. Chapter 13: Scientific Parasite

Hambo's become kind of raggedy. But I don't mind. He's still a great sleeping partner. And he's plushy and soft, so I never get tired of holding him. I wonder sometimes...

Simon always carries the heavy pack with all our stuff. I always ask if I can help, but he never lets me. Lately he's been sighing a lot. And he's kinda bends over whenever he walks. I wonder if the crown's getting to him... and making him older.

Maybe if he had a friend like I had Hambo, he'd feel better. And not so tired and stressed out about everything. I know I sleep better with Hambo watching out for monsters. Simon needs a friend who can stay awake and watch his back.

"Okay, Marcy, you ready to go?"

We've been visiting San Francisco a lot more now. I've seen an automobile shop and the empty zoo. Simon tells me all the animals ran away from the scary Lich King. I see him in my dreams, the day Daddy left me. The Green explosion... Sometimes, me and Simon can see him flying through the sky. We always hide and he never finds us. But one day, I'm gonna rough up his junk and see if he likes that!

"Just a sec. Hold still, Simon."

He looks confused as I measure the length of his pocket protector with my hand.

"Um... Marcy?"

"Done! Let's go!"

Simon always holds my hand when we go anywhere. He says that in case of any danger, he just pull me along, since he runs faster. I tell him I won't need to run one day because I'll learn how to fly.

"Really? That doesn't sound too bad of an idea..."

"Where are we going today, Simon?"

"To..." He stops in front of a huge concrete block, "The Department Store Ruins!"

I count at least ten windows going up. Ten stories is the tallest building I've seen, other than Daddy's castle of course.

"What's in here?"

"A whole lotta stuff, Marcy."

He pushes open the glass door and a stale, cool burst of air blows past my face. It's kinda chilly in the building. Simon doesn't seem to mind.

"Hmm, let's see here..." He gazes at a standing board in the dim lighting. I could see the words, "You are Here" on some kind of map.

"Hmf. I guess we'll check out the clothing and cooking ware floor," Simon says after a while. I steal a glance at the map and glimpse the words "TOYS" next to the words "8th Floor".

Simon tried using the room called an "elevator" but it didn't work. "No electricity", So we took the stairs.

We first stop on the second floor, where a bunch of weird stores were named "Macy's" and "Sears" and other junk. They all sold clothes. Simon and I had fun trying on different outfits in the changing rooms. Simon bought a brown jacket with patched elbows. I liked my clothes, so I just took a candy bar from the counter near the exit.

As we leave, Simon tells me it's wrong to steal.

On our way to the fourth floor, Simon stops at the "Food Court". I gagged at the crummy burgers and crusted fries. Seems like the only things we could touch were the sweet drink dispensers. Simon picked up some napkins. I found freeze dried meat patties that Simon said expired. "No electricity"

On the cooking ware floor, Simon went looking for a good pot, pan, and a rolling pin.

"In case of attacks," he said.

While he was scrounging, I snuck up the stairs to the eighth floor. It was kind of scary because the lights flickered on the sixth floor landing. But I see really well in the dark, so I kept going. Tons of dead rats and spider webs were tucked into the corners.

When I reached the eighth landing, I noticed dried green ooze dripping from the steps leading up to the ninth floor. I wonder where all the people went...

In the huge room, I was surrounded by mountains of plush toys. The room was dimly lit and musty, with a coating of dust everywhere. As I stepped through the pink carpeting, dust stuck to my socks. There were faint traces of the green stuff here too.

I didn't see anything that could be good for Simon. I asked Hambo what he thought would be a good toy for Simon. Hambo was sleeping.

I decided to look around a little longer. Then I saw a little pink thing move on top of the tallest mountain in the room. I couldn't quite make it out, but I climbed after it. It looked about the length of my hand.

"Hey, wait-"

"MARCY?!" I could hear Simon bellow as his steps tapped furiously in the stair well. He was still on a lower floor, but he was getting close.

The little pink thing peeked out at me from behind a rabbit plush and looked at me funny. I could see it had no neck. I was almost to the top.

"MARCY!" Simon slammed the door open. I turned and lost my concentration.

My foot slid deep into the mountain. And I felt the pile tremble. The whole thing began to fall down as the top toys rolled in an avalanche. I was suspended in air for a moment before the toys covered me from all directions.

"MARCY!" I saw Simon for a brief moment before I was completely buried in plushies.

"SIMON-"

…

There was a great cloud of dust. When I opened my eyes, I was up to the neck in plush toys. The mountains had all simultaneously collapsed. I was surprised by how difficult it was to move in the sea of plushies.

The dust got all over me. I sneezed over and over again. It would've been horrible to die of dust inhalation, but my nose soon cleared up and I found some footing on an overturned shelf.

I surveyed the dim, flickering room. No sign of Marceline. Oh no, she'd get suffocated under all those toys...

"Marcy! Marcy!" I called out over and over again, "Marcy! Oh, mother..."

"Marcy!" I began to dig furiously through the plushies, ignoring the flying dust, "Marcy!"

A muffled noise alerted me to a small hill in the sea. I painstakingly made my way there, slipping a few times.

"Marcy?!" I pry off a few Tiggers, "Marcy! Are you there?!"

I throw off a Stitch and reveal Marcy's face. I pull her out. Her hand still gripped Hambo. I carry her back to the shelf and lay her down.

"Marcy! Marcy! Wake up!" Her eyelids twitch and he coughs out dust. I support her head on my forearm, "You okay?"

She sputters, the dust brought tears to her eyes, "Simon..."

"That was a very dangerous-" Before I finish, she hugs me with a startling force. I'm almost knocked over.

"I'm sorry, Simon!" She bawls and I feel her tears and snot staining my shirt, "I-I just thought you... you'd sleep better if-if I..."

"Oh, Marcy," I ruffle her ebony hair, "I sleep better already knowing you're safe."

She looks up tearfully and cracks a small smile. We laugh a little.

"Thanks, Simon," She looks around, "Hey, guess what, I found this little pink- THING!"

She jumped into the plushies and came up holding something triumphantly in her hand. After I help her back up, she reveals to me a little pink nub figure in her hand. It had legs and arms but no fingers. The whole thing was pink. It blinked apprehensively at us.

"This is for you!" Marcy tucked the thing into my pocket, "What do you think it is?"

"Umm..." The little thing seemed quite comfy in my pocket, "It think it's a Scientific Parasite."

"What?!" Marcy tried to take it out, but the little guy wouldn't budge, "I'm sorry, Simon... I thought..."

"No, it's alright. Doesn't seem dangerous..." I recall a former colleague's presentation on such things, "It just feeds off brain waves. Seems this guy likes mine..."

"Brain...waves? Like... ocean waves?" Marcy looks at me quizzically.

I chuckle and hoist her onto my shoulders. It's a little heavy along with the bulging pack, but I didn't complain. Luckily, the moment I opened the exit, the toys surged forth and practically swept us all the way to the lobby. We were a bit bruised, but we couldn't stop laughing until we got out of the city.

I cooked some hobo soup from canned goods and we sung a bit around the fire. I watched Marcy fall asleep and soon began nodding off myself.

That night, I slept well.


	14. Chapter 14: Bass Overture

"Ooh! Lookie here, Marcy! A bonanza!"

Simon lifted a slightly charred object from a pile of trash. It was a box shaped like an eight with a hole and strings that ran along a stick that stuck from it.

"It's a guitar, a musical instrument," Simon said as he picked off bits of burnt wood.

He plucked the strings and a strange sound bounced from the string and seemed to vibrate with everything. I was fascinated.

"Let me try."

Simon guided my hands over the strings and I could feel his hands tremble. Since yesterday, when he warded off those monsters and called me "Gunther", he's been a little kooky.

His beard is longer, and his eyes have a much more wild look. He wears the crown more often and tends to mutter incessantly about snow and stuff. I'm worried he may be too far gone... But he still comes back in moments like this. Short relapses, where his mind goes back to the old Simon and we'd laugh and sing like we used to. I'd already lost track of how much time we'd spent together. His jacket is worn and thin. My hair is down to my shoulder blades and I've had to change from my old baby clothes. I'm up to Simon's shoulder now...

"Strum like this see?" He gripped my hand and ran it over a series of notes. It produced a cascading sound that reverberated through the air. I loved it.

"This is a cool guitar." I jumped up and plucked some random strings. The cacophony held a strange appeal to me.

"How was that, Hambo?" I glance at the raggedy old bear. He remains smiling. I smile back. Behind me, Simon groaned.

"Uhh..." He fell to his knees.

"SIMON!" I rushed to his side. He righted himself up and sat with his back to an old concrete wall. He gripped his head and hissed through his teeth. I felt a chill go throughout the air around us and I saw ice form on the ground around him.

"Simon-" "STAY AWAY!"

His eyes flashed white and he screeched a strange inhuman scream. I gripped Hambo and could only watch in horror as snow rained down and frost covered the area. Simon floated high into the air and his cracked glasses fell. In the distance, I could hear the monsters growl in the city, attracted by all the noise.

"Simon! Take the crown off- ugh!" I nimbly dodged an icicle bolt.

Using it as a spring board, I sprung up in his face and plucked the crown of his balding head. I'd always been able to jump and run pretty well, don't know why. Anyway, he stopped immediately and the crown fell into a nearby bush. Simon fell on his back, moaning. I landed beside him.

"Simon! Simon!"

"Ngh... Wha-? Who's Simon? Gunther?" He blinked, incomprehensible, at me, "Go get Daddy's crown, you bad Gunther."

"What, Simon!" I grab his shoulders and give a good shake, "Simon! You're Simon! Snap out of it!"

His eyes snapped into focus, but he was gone as quick as he came, "Give me my crown!"

He lunged past me and picked the crown off the bush. I was filled with dread as he positioned it on his head. He grinned a toothy grin and floated slowly upwards, then away.

He rants at the top of his lungs, "ICE! ICE, SNOW, FROST! FOREVER!"

"Simon!" I chase exasperatedly. Is he really gone? The crown doesn't seem to stop controlling his mind even when it's removed...

"SIMON!" I cry out until my throat is hoarse. He stops. I continue running and he slowly descended to the ground. Had the magic worn off?

I caught up with him, panting. He wore a look of terror as he took the crown off slowly. He looked at me like a helpless child. I returned the look of a worried and scared little girl. He spoke first.

"Marcy... I-" "Simon!"

I run up to him, slap the crown out of his hands and hug his waist as hard as I can. A long silence followed. I was trembling violently, so I said the one thing I could think of to keep myself from crying.

"...How about some dinner?"

…

It was silent around the fire. Simon's eyes were a million miles away, and he only looked up once in a while, his mouth open, but silent. I stirred the old pot pensively.

"Marcy... I..." Simon finally speaks. I look up and he stops.

"...Did I ever tell you... about Betty?"

I was desperate to have him keep talking normal, "Tell me again."

He chuckled, his eyes misty and foreign, "If you ever get to meet her, I'd want... Marcy... I..."

He fumbled his words and finally asked with difficulty, "What am I to you, Marcy?"

"Huh?" "Why do you stay with me?"

I think for a moment before responding, "I love you, Simon. You... you're my only friend. And Hambo." I hug the raggedy teddy. His color has long faded into a murky pink and he's patched all over.

Simon smiles, "If I get to marry Betty... and we do start a family... Would you like to be my daughter?"

I drop the spoon into the pot and leave it. The thought just seemed like out of a dream. I fantasized living with Simon in a house and being like before the Lich many times.

"Yes! Yes!"

"Okay, okay..." He sighs a bit, "We'd better get some sleep now."

The horrific experience was forgotten for a while as I drifted into sleep. But in the middle of the night, I was rudely awakened by Simon's nightmarish mumbling in his sleep. A chilly air hung over our little campsite and I could glimpse the crown atop the tree stump that was our table. It's rubies gleamed a strange light and I shivered from the thought of the ghastly ghoul Simon would become. I thought I could help him control it... But he's slipping so far, and it's getting too hard to call him back repeatedly.

Reluctant and troubled, I forced myself to sleep. Reassuring myself of nothing but empty promises of a future.

_Simon... We'll always be together... Promise?_


	15. Chapter 15: End of All Stories

I'm no longer myself in this form.

_Where' the Princesses? I wanna snag a mighty nice one!_

It's like a battle all the time for my consciousness. I can't sleep anymore because I'm overridden whenever I rest. My body feels so leaden and those disturbing visions don't make anything better. They're everywhere, all the time. There's no time left for me it seems. Yet I can't leave Marcy. I can't. Not yet.

_Where's a good spot for an Ice Kingdom, eh?_

She gives me a worried look. I marvel at how she's already an adolescent. We've spent a long time together in this barren new world.

"Simon? What's wrong?" She runs a hand across my wrinkled forehead.

I sit down heavily on an overgrown mushroom. Strange plants and even stranger animals have been popping up as we continue to live sparsely. Just the other day I saw the silhouette of a gigantic spider by the forest edge. Thank glob it didn't come any closer. But now that I know we're no longer alone, it's been uneasy.

"I'm... just a bit tired..." I manage to mutter._ Gunther, come give Daddy some sugar._

"... Simon," Marcy looks at me, unbelieving, "Do you need anything?"

_SUGAR! PRINCESSES!_

"Some... gum, maybe?" I say that without thinking. She looks at me confused.

"... That pink gunk that was all over the city? Where did it all go anyway..." She looks furtively over at the direction of the city, "Should we go back?"

I nod wearily, "Okay."

She nimbly springs from branches and hops among the treetops. I'm amazed by her lithe vitality. I amble behind, burdened by the battle in my mind more so than the bundle on my back.

_I think I'll make the penguin's home here!_

We come to the toxic river that runs along the city border. It's green and radiates an eerie aura. We had built a bridge of scrap metal to cross a few days ago.

At dinner, I looked over some ancient newspapers that I'd kept. Marcy slurped on her stew and peered across the fire. We ended up laying side by side looking at the papers.

"Wow... '_San...Frankisko...Examiner'..._?" She pronounces slowly.

"This was the last piece of news... before that... bomb," I look wistful at the front cover, "It's like a piece of the past."

Marcy gestures at the photo of a convict under the article titled "Suspect Convicted of 4 Murders".

"He's a bad guy, right?"

I sigh lightly and she looks to me for confirmation. Positioning myself on my elbows, I lean back a little bit on my back.

"I don't think so."

She looks at me, "Huh?! But he's done bad things! Isn't that what bad people are?"

"No... it's something else," I wipe my cracked spectacles, "I think there's just good people, but they do bad things. There's really no bad people. That's what I think."

She cocks her head to one side, digesting the information. Her hair's gotten long and unruly. Maybe I ought to find her a comb or scrunchy...

_Hey, find a Princess or two here and there... And I'm loaded! Yay, Ice King you are on a roll!_

…

After a bit of reading, Marcy wanted stories.

I wracked my brain for a story I had yet to have told. These numerous nights have trailed behind one another and become somewhat strangely monotone. We'd grown lax on security, knowing those things never seem to venture beyond the city. And we've never seen anything particularly malicious come out of the wood. We just ate, sat around, talked, and so on.

_Why am I sittin' here? There' princesses up for grabs elsewhere!_

I forcefully shake my head. I'm sure that's just the crown talking. But it just shows how far I've deteriorated. I need to get somewhere, I don't know where, but somewhere Marcy will be safe... And then I will have been done. The crown will inevitably swallow me up and I will be... I don't know what. Even the brightest memories seem strangely distant in my muddled brain.

"Betty..."

_Who's Betty?_

"Simon?"

I take a deep breath, "There lived a poor man. He was happy despite poverty and had a wife and two children. His wife was named Betty, his little girl was Marceline... and his son was... was..."

Marcy looked up in worry. I was wracked by a wave of headaches. They subsided, but left me utterly distorted.

"...his name was Gunther."

Unknowingly, my hand clutched on the crown and moved to slowly place it on my head. Marcy, quick like a mouse, snatched it away. Strangely enough, my body froze, and every muscle was virtually halted. I sat there limply, unable to even speak, eyes wide open to watch a horrific scene unfold.

"_SIMON!"_

There was an unearthly howl that echoed in my head as Marcy gaped at the glowing crown she held. I wanted to take the glittering thing, tell Marcy to let it go, or something. But I sat there, dumb as a brick.

Ice crept from the swirling cold air that froze slowly onto Marceline's clothes and skin. The crown glowed bright as a star. Marcy couldn't let go, as it froze fast to her hands.

"AAAAGHHH! SIMON!" Ice crept up her body. Her screams pierced my numb mind and I weakly lunged to wrench the crown out of her grasp.

The ice accelerated it's growth and I could feel icicles pierce my limbs. I was getting frozen into the icy mass as well.

"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?!" I howl into the cold air, directing my words to the crown, "FINE! TAKE ME!"

If I were to die here, I could stop my descent to madness... I don't know if the crown will still be able to use my frozen corpse, but I won't let it have me alive... But I still... needed to save Marcy...

As ice covered my face, I glimpsed the opening of the fiery depths commence.

Through the clouded and foggy ice, I saw fire burn, licking away at the newspapers.

And I fainted.


	16. Chapter 16: Family

I saw the ice grow rapidly over Simon as it was on me. It covered my face and my limbs instantly were paralyzed in the little sphere of ice.

My body ached as I couldn't even move a muscle. Simon seemed unconscious and the crown was now just glimmering. I tried to draw breath in vain as the ice had sealed all matter. As my lungs burned, I felt my body burn too. I felt _hot_ inside _ice_.

Something wasn't right. I saw a strange blackness crawl over the surface, but I knew I hadn't blacked out. The ice around me felt lukewarm and runny as the sphere cracked open and melted. I coughed and scrambled to Simon, who moaned in response to my yells.

The inky blackness was coming from a smoking hole in the earth. Fire from the pit had licked up Simon's papers and was now smoldering. I saw a memory flash before my eyes. My mother threw her arms around me as she prepared to let me go to...

"...Dad?"

It was all too familiar. He hadn't aged a day. He still wore the same suit and tie the day the Lich came. His skin was still the drab blue and his eyes were feral orbs on his face.

He cracked a grin and his teeth looked pointier, "Marceline! How good it is to see you! How have you been?"

I shook, clutching Simon's listless body, as my dad towered over me and his shadow loomed. It was paralyzing. He oozed the very essence of a demon that struck fear into all. He's the lord of the Nightosphere. I tried to speak without my voice cracking.

"W...Why are you here?"

He twists his back and bends downwards in a grotesque position. His eyes hold my fearful eyes and I see my trembling self reflected in those turquoise orbs.

"Why so stiff? Oh, and this is the Ice Wizard, eh?" He lifts Simon with one hand, holding him by his jacket collar.

"Dad! Let him go!" I manage to scream.

"What? I won't hurt him. It's just..." He looks and I notice as well. The crown somehow was neatly positioned on his head. It's sheen was as though it was smugly sneering at me. Dad promptly dropped Simon. He was starting to become aware and I ran to him.

"Simon! Are you okay?"

"M-Marcy... You- You're alright?"

"Well, of course," My father's voice boomed and Simon paled at the sight of him, "I certainly couldn't let my little monster become a cold dish."

"Y-You're..." Simon's eyes suddenly flashed white and his voice became louder, "Who do you think you are, stink-o? Think the Ice King's afraid of some ol' business man? Huh?"

My jaw dropped in surprise as I realize that's not Simon talking. It's the crown's distortion of him. I make a move to snatch the crown, but my father took a step forward and his face was only an inch from Simon's face. I felt the air suddenly go chilly and hot. My Dad's breath held a rotten smell to it. Simon didn't cringe, or maybe it was the "Ice King"...

"Know your place, Ice Wizard," Dad breathed heavily through his fangs, "I'm only grateful you've helped Marceline this far. But you can go now."

"Who? Marceline? You must mean Gunther," The Ice King said pointedly, "And I go when I want to, buck-o, and Gunther comes with me."

"So you say, but you are still human."

My father's eyes sparkled a strange light and his mouth opened wide. The Ice King gaped at whatever there was and screamed shrilly before his eyes changed and I heard Simon screaming. I could see a mist my Dad was sucking out of his mouth.

"Dad, NO!" I jammed myself between them, "You can't have Simon's soul! He's my friend!"

My dad closed his mouth and glanced at me strangely. The wisp of vapor returned to Simon's body and he coughed a small vapor cloud. I held on to Simon while keeping my gaze on my father, who stood only a few steps away. He stared intently.

"Well, I came for you Marcy," He shrugged, "If you still aren't ready, I'll be waiting. Like, hmm, at a diner in the city, maybe?"

A cloud of noxious Nightosphere gas formed at his feet as he sauntered away, waving, "See you soon, Marcy. I'm warning you, he's gonna break sooner or later."

I don't get him. He's back for me now...? Of all times, all the times I wished to see and talk to him, I had to see him again like this. And what was that about? Was he talking about Simon and the crown's influence? Does he know what's happening, or how to stop it?

"M-Marcy..." Simon looked at me, shock in his eyes, "That's your father?"

I can only nod. He looks thoughtfully at the figure disappearing into the city and then at me. I couldn't make it out, but he was definitely thinking of some kind of plan. He abruptly turns in the direction of the forest.

"Marcy... Go with your father."

"What? Simon!" I hung tightly to him, "What are you talking about? Just because... things don't have to change! You promised we'd be together! You pinky swore!"

He gave me a look beyond pain that pierced me too. My arms were leaden for almost a second. He looked at the clouds. There was a rupturing tremor amongst them, showing a possible future appearance of a sky.

"Ha... it's going to be dawn soon... You need to sleep, Marcy."

He pat me on the head. His hands were heavy and weary. I looked at his eyes that were so old now, and full of conflict. His finger brushed my cheek and I wanted to tell him in earnest that everything would be alright. I wanted to make him feel safe... to stay. His eye had a single tear that slid down and disappeared into his beard. I felt a warm river spill over onto my cheeks and drip down my chin.

"You're not leaving, are you?"

"..."

"Simon!"

"Go to sleep Marcy."

"NO! Not... not until you promise you won't leave!"

"..."

"You promised!"

"...Marcy. Your dad's here. He can take care of you. I... I need to do what I need to do..."

"I want to be part of your family!"

He twitches at the words that fall through my burning throat.

"I've always wanted a dad like you... Simon. I want to live with you and call you dad, and, and come crying to you when I'm hurt..." I can barely speak through the choking on tears and sobs, "You said that could happen, Simon..."

"Alright, alright!" His voice suddenly returned to a normal tone, "I'll sleep too. And may be you can sleep with me for once."

He lay out a large sleeping mat and draped his coat over me. I held his hand as he lay down beside me and closed his eyes. I was sure to hear him snore before drifting off myself.

_Can I call you 'Daddy', Simon?_


	17. Chapter 17: Break

I don't know... Who am I again?

_You're the Ice King._

Really? Who... is she?

_That's Gunther._

… No... No, nonononono... I'm Simon...

_Who's that?_

I...don't know.

The first I remember is that of a gray sky. I'm standing somewhere by the sea with a woman. I don't know her face or her voice, but we seem to know each other. Slowly, the scenery faded and I'm alone in a dark, chilly place. I'm not particularly cold or frightened.

I keep hearing this little voice. I don't know who it belongs to, but it keeps calling for me. Needlessly redundant, and it utters the same thing over and over again.

"Simon, Simon..." it calls incessantly, unceasing.

I want to cover my ears as it pounds my brain. This little word. What does it mean?

…

I wake with a start, covered in cold sweat and panting heavily. This thick blanket's smothering. I feel like my hand is burning. I look to my side and I see some weird girl beside me. I'm holding her hand, whose warmth is scorching.

I quickly shake it off carefully, as to not wake her. Lifting the covers, I slip away from the bed. She is way too young for me.

At a nearby puddle of water, I look at my reflection. Yeesh, I should grow a longer beard... And what's with these things? I toss those glasses away. They'd kill my chances with the ladies for sure.

Now... guide me almighty magic of the crown! Bring upon my control ice, snow, frost! Brushing aside apparitions on the spirit plane, I make my way away from... wherever this place is. At a nearby rock, there were several scorched papers beside a pack. This is mine right? Finders keepers. I lug the thing over my back and continue walking.

Wait, I can fly, right?

My beard suddenly grows down to waist level and a rush of ecstasy washed away my poo- brain. As I fluttered higher with my beard wings, I began to come out of my strange stupor.

"I... AM THE ICE KING!" I bellow loud enough for all of Ooo to hear.

"Simon!" A midget voice calls from below.

"Huh?" I look down and see that girl that was too young for me. I wave, hoping it'll go away.

"Simon! Get down here!"

"Simon? Whuzzat?"

She got a really weird expression. Like she really was constipated or really needed to cry. I didn't want no drama so I started flying to a place where I could build my Ice Kingdom in peace. But as I flew, I kept hearing her screaming after me. Oh Glob, I'm such a chick magnet.

"_SIIIMOOOOOONN!"_

…

My voice grew raspy from screaming so much. But I didn't care. He simply floated further away. Beyond my reach. Beyond any help.

"Si...mon..." I managed one more hoarse cry before I keel over from exhaustion. Every fiber in my body screamed and the tears wouldn't stop. I kept on panting "Simon" as I tried to catch my breath, as if calling him would magically make things alright.

_No... Simon..._

He doesn't even recognize me anymore. Not as Marcy, or whatever he used to call me when he was crazy. I couldn't believe it.

I curled up into fetal position on the grass and trembled as I sobbed and hiccuped helplessly. I cried until I felt my eyes would no longer be able to open. Then I drifted there for a long time. In the dark, I could still hear Simon. His voice singing another of his songs...

_...Wouldn't it be nice... To get to a place... Where everyone knows your na-a-ame..._

_Your name is Simon Petrikov._


	18. Chapter 18: Good-Bye

I don't want to wake up. Let me sleep here. I want to see Simon. But I know somehow he's far away. So I don't want to open my eyes. But a voice so oily and rumbling shakes me violently as I floated in the dark space. I end up waking.

A bright light was shining down on me. I was surrounded by a familiar surrounding. With red stone walls mingling with fire moss and the smell of flesh. I flexed my hands and sat up a little on the fleshy pillow. This was the Nightosphere.

I recognize this room. I used to stay here when Dad took me on visits. I missed Mom, but the senseless violence and simplicity of the Nightosphere kept me entertained. I walk over to the window and stare out to the familiar chaotic landscape. Shrieks of agony and the sight of writhing, suffering denizens was strangely soothing. Then Simon's memory bought the calm crashing down. I quickly turned away and went for the door, to get out of here. Unfortunately, my dad was there.

"Marceline! You're awake, yay!" He smiled toothily, "Y'know I was a bit worried there that you'd get problems or something, but you pulled through!"

"Dad! Take me back to the surface!"

"Why? Think you'd fit in there? Believe me, Marcy," He sits me down and takes a seat next to me on the bed, "You're better off down here, ruling the Nightosphere after your old man!"

I stand up, "Take me back!"

He looks at me exasperatedly. After a few more minutes of arguments, he surrenders.

"Alright, alright. Let's go."

…

The sky was still drab over the city, but I could see a receding line of clouds all over the sky. Blue was vibrant and sparse rays shone and illuminated the ragged forests. I saw many strange things move and crawl as I looked around.

"Huh, fries."

I'd been staying at the run down diner with my dad chaperoning. He'd mainly go back to the Nightosphere on business and return really late to ask me if I found anything.

I decided to keep the fries. And to make sure they'd still be here, I put my name on a scrap of paper and placed it on top of the dish. Then my dad appeared to annoy me again with his nagging questions.

"Remember, there's always a place for you down in the Nightosphere. Why wait?"

I didn't answer, but I knew why. I can't just leave Simon. Maybe there's a chance of a cure or something. Or an alternative to his longevity.

"Dad. I have to keep looking."

"Why?" He looks disapprovingly at my fries, "What's so special about the Ice Wizard?"

"Don't call him that!"

I storm out. I hated it. I hated his smug and jeering words. He knew I'd have nowhere to go, but to return to him. I keep walking for what seems like forever. And my feet hurt.

_Wish I could fly now..._

The woods seemed to stretch endlessly without revealing anything. Strange paraphernalia was strewn across the floor. Sparse rays of light provided dim illumination through the thick canopies. When I finally got through the forest, I was in a wide open field. A single sapling grew here, and there were strands of white hairs draped across it's budding branches.

I gasp. This was Simon's beard hair! He must be close. I begin running with renewed hope, hollering his name whenever and wherever I could.

"Simon! Si- Whoooaaa!" I found myself slipping down a hillside slick with snow. Snow? What's...

"Marceline?" A familiar voice is audible once I'm upside down on the nadir of the hill. I brush some snow out of my face and right myself up. It was Simon.

Only, he was much more blue, no longer had glasses, and his beard and nose were longer than ever. Oh, and the stupid crown was still stuck on his head.

"Simon!" I run up to embrace him.

"NO!" He sends a blast of magic that brushes my right cheek, landing in the snowdrift behind me. Was he... attacking me?

"Simon?"

He grunts and shivers, hugging himself in his bony arms. He hasn't eaten... he looks so decrepit... and weak...

"Simon, come on..." I take a step forward, "Let's go home..."

_Home?_ Who was I kidding? Simon was my home. Not the Nightosphere, where my control freak of a Dad would always try to mold me into his ideal image. Simon stopped cradling himself and looked at me like a scared, wild animal. His eyes were so white, and he sounded so distant.

"Marceline, please," He slowly walked backwards, putting distance between us, "I... I don't want to hurt you... It's me... It's ME!"

He bursts into cackling laughter that chilled me to the bone. Simon was fading quickly.

"Simon! What about our promise?"

"What... What promise? HAHAHA-" He shook himself and looked at me, a mixed expression on his face.

"Goodbye, Marcy."

And he was gone.


	19. Chapter 19: Tears and Fries

I saw those warm hands turn frosty cold, and his eyes glazed over. I could no longer feel anything emanating from him. The Simon I knew was sucked away, into a vast whiteness. Those hands would never hold me again... Warmth would never exude from them again... His eyes no longer twinkled with curiosity or emotion. They glared and flashed with maniacal light as he twisted his face into a wide grin.

I could only watch motionlessly as he flew away, using his beard as wings. It was so bizarre, and he took no notice of me.

_Because... Simon is gone._

"No."

_He doesn't know me anymore._

"No!"

_I'll... never see him... again..._

"NO...NO!"

I dig my hands into the snow, feeling the biting cold. I throw snow into my face, trying to escape reality.

"No, no,no,no... NO!" I clench my hands in the snow. They sting with raw redness and I feel blood flowing from my lip that I bit. My vision blurs as tears seep through.

I fall back and sit on my calves, staring helplessly into the gray sky. Snow drifted down, but it didn't melt immediately against my bare skin. The flakes that land on my cheek are absorbed into the warm tears that flowed slowly.

"You... You promised..." I say to the void. Nothing was responding. Nothing felt right. The whole world was being swallowed in insanity...

My chest was tight, and I heaved in between sobs. The feeling, not the cold, wracked my body into shivers.

"Liar..."

Simon was gone. And I'd never see him again.

…

The snow eventually turned to rain, and I felt it temporarily wash away my sadness. In this nadir of my life, I had no place to go anymore, or anyone to turn to. Then I remembered my dad back at the diner.

Maybe I was desperate... But I wanted to see him. I wanted to cry into his suit and have him hold me like a child. Dripping wet, desperate and shaken, I trudged back to the diner.

In the rain, the forest made strange sounds as a gust of rain and leaves blew through the branches and aroused eyes that glared from the dark. I saw a large furry rock, which turned out to be a bear when I approached.

It spoke, "What're you looking at?"

I walked with a faster pace. Once out of the forest, the wind ceased and the rain lightened. I saw the old bridge me and Simon placed over the toxic river. Turning away, I hurried towards the southern border of San Francisco. The rain makes the hill slick, but I clamber up to the diner door.

"Dad-"

I see him eating the fries I'd found earlier. He looks at me like "Wha-?"

I saved those for myself. I even left a note. This was last thing I needed today. Why couldn't he be a good father? Like Simon? Why can't he...

"Daddy, why...?" Was all I could muster through my exhaustion. He rose from his seat, but I ran back out to the rain. I don't know if he called after me, I didn't hear. I just ran without direction. Once I neared the bottom of a hill, I slipped and rolled down. I tumbled endlessly, for all I was worth.

I fell into a puddle and I just lay there, looking up at the sky. It was gray and drab, not a crack in the clouds to be seen. I could picture it though...that night when I saw the sky with Simon. White sparks dotted a midnight fabric and left a person feeling unsatisfied.

But a leaky gray ceiling is all it will be now. Because it's just no good without you...

I closed my eyes and felt the raindrops fall and splash all over. All the problems seemed to sit on my chest and exhaust me.

I thought I heard Simon's voice one last time in the midst of all the pitter-patter. It was distant and tiny, but I wanted to go toward it. I took a rain-cooled breath and sighed. I let go. Then I realized I was all alone, misled by a voice... of a person who wasn't there anymore.

No matter how hard I try, it's just no good... I couldn't save him in the end.

In that cold, dark loneliness, I could only lay there and cry.


	20. Chapter 20: You're Not Even Alive

Sickly warmth was spreading through my fingertips. Wait, no, it was sticky... What the...?

I opened my eyes to a dark, earthen ceiling. Stalactites hung dripping and a strange odor wafted about the dank atmosphere. I think I'm underground...

My body was stiff, and it took an effort to even sit up. I was in a sticky puddle of... pink gum?

The stuff stuck fast and I took a while to get out of it. Even when I did, wads of the gum stuck to me all over. The puddle had pooled in from a crack in the high walls of this cavern. Strands still connected it and I could feel a draft.

There was a chatter of what sounded like bones clacking and old men babbling from below the ledge I was on. I peered down to a strange spectacle.

A line of skeletons filed singly to a gate of stone and iron. They seemed to move mechanically, without worry or rush. A giant skeletal bird with one eye socket sat guard and sorted out the dead. Behind him was a pile of bones from the ones who didn't get to pass. These people... were dead...

I wanted to throw up, but fear of discovery froze my insides. The bird suddenly looked up, looked directly at me. I shrank back instantly, fearing those hollow sockets...

"Where am I...? What happened..."

Then I remember. Simon, the fries...and I fell...

"Am I... dead?"

"Hey, you!"

That sharp voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I turn quickly to it's source. A small dark demon.

"Wait... aren't you Abadeer's daughter?"

It took a step closer. I couldn't distinguish it from all the other denizens I'd seen in the Nightosphere.

"Where am I?"

"Why are you here? This is the Underworld, land of the dead. Did you die?"

I ponder his statement. I definitely felt dead, but was I really...

"I need to get out of here."

The demon scratched his head and shrugged. He gestured for me to follow and led me down small tunnels of bone and dirt. We reached a secret opening behind the gate and made our way to where he called "Death's castle".

I looked at the Land of the Dead stretched before me and I saw a glowing castle of light at the horizon of the dark backdrop. The demon was in a hurry to go, so I talked as we walked.

"Um, thank you, Mr. Demon... Who are you?" I say jumping over a skull.

"That's none of your business. I'll have you know I'm a respected figure in your father's world as well as this one."

"Oh..." I decide to change the subject, "Suppose I did die... is there anyway to go back to life?"

He seemed to disregard my question and simply went on muttering about how some royal family was visiting the castle.

"...And as if the best thing to have on my hands right now is some brat from the Nightosphere..."

We arrived to a field of sand where a small party seemed to be taking place. Two pink figures seemed out of place in this colorless place.

"Ahem," The demon trotted off to tug the shirt of a cowboy, "Lord Death..."

The cowboy turned and I gasped. His head was the skull of an animal. His eye sockets had a white light that seemed to embody bitterness. As the demon whispered in his ear, his eyes moved to where I stood. I looked down before I established eye contact.

I heard the sound of his spurs clinking before I saw his boots in front of my feet in the sand. Trembling, I slowly looked up into those hollow eyes. His aura was immense, and I felt air-headed.

"Abadeer, are you?"

Terrified, I could only swallow.

"WELL? ARE YOU?" He bellowed with such ferocity I fell backwards. He continued to stare, but I can't tell if he was glaring either.

I finally plucked up the energy to nod. My eyes had begun to water and I was feeling smaller by the minute.

He snorted and turned back to his guests. I guess I wasn't much of a priority. I just sat there, dumbstruck at how fearful I'd been.

"Um... are you alright?" A pink hand extended to me. I looked up to a pretty pink face.

"Can you stand?"

I took her hand reluctantly and she pulled me to my feet. I was about her height, if not a bit taller. She wore a shiny circlet on her head adorned with a single jewel. Her hand was squishy and slightly sticky, like bubblegum.

"I-I'm Princess Bubblegum. Bonnibel Bubblegum, of the Candy Kingdom. Well, it's not quite constructed yet..."

She prattled a bit before I mumbled "thanks" and began to walk away.

"Wait!" She called after me, "Why don't you stay? It's a lovely Zen Garden Exhibition."

I looked back to her. It was awkward and I felt intrusive. There I was, in my rags, in front of Death and his party and two weird pink beings of bubblegum.

"...I couldn't..." I started, but she dragged me into the fray anyway. Death didn't bat an eye at me, or more like he couldn't. Soon I began to relax a bit around this strange girl.

"So, what's your name?"

"Marceline..." I didn't give out my last name.

"Marceline, you don't look like the skeletons here. Are you lost?"

"I... don't know... I fell into a puddle and it was raining, and... I just want to go-"

I stopped myself before I said "home" because I didn't have one. Bonnibel looked at me, puzzled. I was quiet for a while. Then cold fingers pressed on my shoulder. I knew it was Death, so I just stiffened. He lowered his head and began to whisper in a drawling, raspy voice.

"Your stay here has just been prolonged, Miss Abadeer..."

I shuddered. His words confirmed the dread weighing on me ever since I awoke here...

I was no longer alive.


	21. Chapter 21: To Escape Death

The party passed by slowly. I had just about broken down and looked about in a daze. Bonnibel followed my gaze and spoke, but I didn't hear. The world had somehow lost it's color... everything had just gone loose. I didn't think that dying would have been so... crushing. Simon had said something about going far away... but I never knew it was so numbing.

The party ended and I saw Bonnibel and her great-uncle get pulled up and away from this Land of the Dead by the same tendrils of bubblegum that bought them down here. I stare as they ascend and Bonnibel stared back. She had a strange look in her eyes. I looked away, to face those sunken eyes on that skeleton face. The lights bore straight into me.

"Well, Miss Abadeer, I do hope you enjoy your stay."

His raspy tones grated at my insides. My hands balled up reflexively and I trembled slightly as his gloved hand brushed my cheek. He said he'd "take care" of me in sickly, caressing tones. I looked away, to the little demon who was mumbling something about being given away as a present.

I briskly surveyed the horizon of my new home. There was nothing but the bleak colors... as bleak as my future here.

…

"Hey, Marceline! We got some new punks landing in!"

I rolled over to my side as Wendy kicked me again with her ethereal pseudopod. Queasy, I get up while spitting out dust that accumulated in my mouth during my nap. I get up, dust my raggedy jacket I stole from some other guy, and get out of my makeshift tent shelter. Wendy, Booboo, and Georgy stand in a neat line, waiting.

They were ghosts of something that died. We made up some little gang here, to pass the time. There was no way to tell how long I'd been here. These guys are the closest I can call to 'friends'.

My old clothes had worn away. Hambo was gone. I'd left him at the diner. I'd stolen from the dead here to survive. The three ghosts are also hardened criminals here. We fool around here in the Underworld, causing trouble for the others crossing the Land of the Dead. It's a way to pass the time here, since it was an unlimited stay anyway.

I'd grown. It's strange, but since I'd kept my flesh, I aged normally. My hair grew down to my waist and I was definitely taller. Looking in a puddle, I see that I'd gotten a lot more barren and gaunt. My face had gotten mischievous, and my eyes had a burnished kind of light in them. I was in the mood to mess with someone.

"So? Fresh meat?" I nonchalantly chew on a twig.

Booboo's top head bobs and his lower head nods. He laughs with a sort of crooked smile. Georgy chuckles approvingly and gives me a thumbs up. Wendy looks over the edge of our hideout's ledge where the line of the dead stretch endlessly. The newcomers to the Land of the Dead need a proper initiation.

"Let's go."

Wendy clasps my arms and helps me fly. The four of us descend the ledge at a horrifying speed. Wind blows past me and I feel an escalating level of excitement. I begin cackling, alerting the dead below to our arrival. They scatter as we swoop down and knock one skull off it's vertebrae. We make short work of the crowd and sit down, laughing.

"Whoo, did you see how they started running? One fell off his own feet... literally!" Booboo's second head amplifies his laughter. The rest of us follow in unison, filling the trench with echoes of cackles. I stop laughing first and excuse myself from the merriment.

The dead hordes formed colonies of burrows and communities of earthen homes where they rest. We've raided a few, but it was only fun at first. Actually, everything's become a bit dull. I'm beginning to think I'm turning into one of these skeletons, only with flesh still on my bones. Time is slowing down... and I'm beginning to grow tired. Lifeless...

Booboo, Wendy, and Georgy are okay with it. They seem to have lost taste for anything other than making others miserable, but their desire keeps them fresh as I slow down. This place is a dead-end. Since I'm here, I'm wondering what's been going on above.

How old am I now? Is Bonnibel queen now? Where's Dad? And Hambo?

One thought lingered above the rest: Is Simon okay?

I fell apart and begin to cry. There is nothing here...

The moist dirt wet my shins and I try to be as quiet as possible. The castle lies stretched in front of me and it shines, brief and bright. Death suddenly appears before me. I feel Wendy and the others looking from behind some rubble. The presence of Death can draw or repel the dead.

Death stares before he speaks. His voice is still the same as I remember, "Enjoying your stay?"

I stare back defiantly, hardened by experience. I wanted to punch him in the face, but I held back. He continued.

"Spoke to your dad over some tea. Charming guy. He, erm, mentioned a... bargain."Stubborn hope leaps in my chest as I try to remain composed. Death continued.

"He wants you out. Heh, and he's got a sharp mind, that Hunson. Found a loophole right away..."

He tips his hat and smiles wryly under his hat. As he is about to complete his statement, a familiar hand appears on his shoulder. I see the face of my father appear from behind. I make a small sound. He hasn't changed at all. Death turned with surprise and an expression of disgust and fear covered his bony face. The smell of the Nightosphere permeated and my dad spoke, contorting his lips into a smile full of sharp teeth.

"The Undead Rule. Marcy, you are getting out of here. But to do so, you must not be dead. And how to do that?" He snapped his fingers at me, much to Death's annoyance.

"Well, you definitely can't be alive again. So the only answer is... Undead!" He grins like it's such great news.

Death takes a deep breath and coughs. He speaks while keeping his eyes on my dad, "Basically, you have a choice here. Become a zombie or whatever and leave, or stay dead here. What'll it be?"

My throat runs dry when I look at the lose-lose situation. A zombie would stink bread balls. But here is no picnic either. My dad quipped for me.

"We'll take the departure, thank you very much," He winked at me when I tried to protest.

Death sighed. He led the two of us to a cave beyond a fence of bones. The sign was too scratched up to read. From the corner of my eye, I saw the three ghosts follow me out of curiosity. But none of them were willing to get close. Some friends.

"Here we are. Vampire Caverns."

A flurry of bats flew past us as Death stepped into the gaping opening. It was insanely dark and I was beginning to wonder if I could still stay. A stench of iron and salt made me sick. My dad walked ahead, dodging dead corpses and stalagmites like it was nothing.

The dark tunnel lead to a single flame that was all the way across a huge domed cave. At this point, Wendy and the others had turned tail and left me to my fate. I'd heard of vampires before from Simon. He said they were some sort of magic creature that existed for drinking blood and killing people. The pictures were more or less shriveled people with a constipated look on their face. I did not want to become a prune, so I tried to back out at the last minute.

"Umm... Is this really such a good idea, dad?" I tug on his sleeve, hopeful that he'd listen. He merely gripped my wrist and began pulling me towards the flame. As we neared the center of the room, a ring of dim torches further illuminated the cave. Death lingered by the entrance, his glowing orbs following our movement.

I dug my heels in a futile effort to resist. Dad's iron grip wouldn't loosen. A throne of earth protruded from a space next to the brightest torch in front of us. A black shadow creeps along the uneven cracks of the wall an manifests into a mass of black sludge that eventually forms a decrepit old guy sitting on the throne. He has shades and a black cape with red underlining. It wasn't that he was old, but he looked … worn.

I got an icy feeling just standing in front of him. As I struggled, my dad confabulated with him like an old friend.

"Hey there, Vampire king," he says cheerfully, "I was wondering if you could, y'know, give my daughter here a makeover."

The king slowly twisted his creaky neck to look me in the eye. I averted my gaze. His stare was red and menacing. Soundlessly, he got up and glided towards us. I made a desperate grab for my dad's coat, but he slipped back to the entryway, leaving me to fend for myself.

The old King's breath was worse than the tunnel's stench. He breathes raggedly, I feel his breath on my face as I stand immobilized by fear. His cold clammy hand pressed on my shoulder while the other one covers my eyes.

With sudden gusto, he wrestled me to the ground. The shock enabled me to resist, but squirm as I may, his hand clamped tight on my shoulders and wouldn't let go. I was trapped.

He opened his mouth and I thought I'd pass out from the stink. His canines were long and sharp like knives. I felt sweat bead on my forehead as my heart threatened to explode. Before the decisive moment, the King smiled wordlessly, mysteriously. Then he bent down, with his hissing next to my left ear.

I felt a sharp pain on my neck, and my body caught fire. Pain licked away at my limbs, and I stiffened at the horrific sensation. I arched and convulsed, screaming and crying. Through my pain-tinged vision, I saw the king, with red dribbling down his chin. I saw my dad and Death... just standing there... They were saying something, but I couldn't hear through all the agony...

The pain flared and ebbed unpredictably. I don't know how long I writhed until I was too tired to move or scream anymore. The King held a silver chalice above me and subsequently poured it out on my face. Some of it entered my mouth, and it was delicious. The drink freshened my aching body and I hungered for more. I lapped like a dog as he poured out every drop.

When there was no more, I sat up, dumbstruck and wide-eyed, with a strange sensation tingling at every corner of my body. The King had slumped back into his chair wearily and my father approached.

"Well, ya did it, Marcy!"

A flash of red. A blur of rage. Suddenly I'm on top of my dad with my hands clawing at his throat. He easily kicked me off and began dusting himself. I landed on the dirt floor on all fours. In realization, I pulled myself up and my voice returned.

"What... What happened to me...?"

Death snickered and my dad answered, "Marcy, you're undead now. You're a vampire."

Vampire. "What?!"

"Well, you're actually vampire queen, but-"

"Arrrgh!" I lunged at him and missed. He smiled jeeringly.

"Why so sad? Aren't you happy? You've got power now! Strength! The power to tear souls apart!"

"But I didn't want to-!" I cover my own mouth for fear I'd cry. There was such a rush right now, too much to process, and this … my dad just...

"Get out of here, Abadeer," Death spat on the floor, "And you're free to go, Miss Abadeer."

I could only stand there in a daze, trying not to cry. I was happy, confused... and about a ton of other emotions all at once. My knees crumpled beneath me and I sat there, kneeling. My father effortlessly lifted my listless body up and a darkness enveloped us. At that moment, I knew I was no longer in the Underworld. I was not a denizen of the Dead anymore.

I'd escaped death...

But why do I still feel so trapped?


	22. Chapter 22: The Return

I can't tell you how it's like to travel with the Lord of the Nightosphere. I could feel him holding me loosely as the dark energy swirled around us in the portal. He looked unhurried as the vortex slowly delivered to our destination on the surface. Then he let me go on some lakeside surrounded by evergreens. The sky had spots of blue poking out.

My hands and feet were bare and tingling. All my clothes had burned away in the portal but my tattered blue tee and ripped jeans. It was strange to feel grass and leaves, especially with my sense all hyped up. My hair was drooping down and brushing against my newly sensitive toes as I sat, dazed, in the grass. There was no sun, but I couldn't get enough of the blue sky.

"Wash up, for goodness sake, Marceline," My dad throws me a ratty towel.

I crawl over to the shore of the water, unable to quite stand. I wanted to see myself alive...

But there was no reflection.

I let out a small cry at the memory of the Vampire King's bite. There was a wave of nausea that followed and I doubled over. My dad stopped me from falling in, but I pushed him away.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it..."

"Get used to it? GET USED TO THIS?!" I burst out, raving, "What am I, dad?! I'm a monster! Why... Why couldn't you stay out of my business?! I..."

I stop because he laughs.

"What? Were you happy there?" He sneers.

I look at my hands, stained with grass, blood and dirt. I wasn't happy now... But how was this any different from when I was dead? It wasn't. Dad was right. But I wasn't going to tell him.

"How long was I gone...?"

"A good thirteen years. And you look great, might I say! Good thing you're never gonna get any older right?"

"...I don't have a reflection."

"And who needs one?"

"... I want to see myself..."

"Ah, alright," My dad hands me a Nightosphere looking glass, "You do look a bit roughed up."

I look at my twenty one year old self. I had lighter skin than my dad. My hair was long, wild and dark, past my waist. I had blood stained all over me from the King's chalice. I'd already tasted first blood. My fingernails had become sharp and my canines stuck out. On my neck were the marks left by the Vampire. They were dark red... and would never fade. I wasn't alive.

I fingered them and winced as pain flared. I bit my lip and tasted my own blood. Then a wave of exhaustion suddenly washed over me and I lay down heavily on the grass. My eyes were too heavy to keep open. I heard my dad say "sweet dreams". And I was asleep.

I was still stuck somewhere in between, floating with uncertainty. Ever since Simon left me, I'd felt lost as to what and who I am...

Wet drops of cold were falling on my cheeks and I was forced to wake from their insistence. The sky was gray and cloudy as drops of rain fell all around. I heard the rustling of many things I'd never been able to. Sounds of animals swiftly darting in the underbrush, and the much more distant, hollow stomping of the large creatures. I don't know what they are. Simon said the green lights that day changed many things into monsters.

My dad was nowhere to be seen. That asshole... I wanted to tear out that smug grin of his more than anything. Nearby, I noticed a red ax lying in the grass. A note was attached.

_This is for you, Marceline. It's the family ax and _

_I hope you find good use for it. Might I suggest to torment some other poor saps?_

_Anyway, congratulations on coming this far. If you ever need me, _

_splash some bug's milk on a happy face and say the following magic words:_

_MALOSO VOBISCUM ET CUM SPIRITUM_

I angrily jam the note into my pocket and pick up the ax. I needed shelter from the rain. The cold struck like needles with every raindrop, but it didn't bother me too much. I just wanted, I needed to go somewhere. Somewhere safe... where I could just forget everything and sleep in peace. Forever. I hoped to anyway.

Carrying my dad's gift, I found myself going back to the diner, amid swath of ugly memories. Memories of parting. The roof had rusted through at several places and the rain seeped through them. Puddles of water had formed in my absence and from those puddles, algae and plants had taken over much of the diner.

Even though I was tired, I was able to make short work of the vines. I lay down on the vinyl couch and felt a cold grasping at my insides. It wasn't warm like it used to be when I fell asleep living. This was a cold sleep of death. Only I couldn't die.

With the rain outside as my only consoling lullaby, I closed my eyes and welcomed the darkness afterward.

When I awake, I will find out what has happened while I was gone. Even if I don't want to, I have to make the most out of this new start. These thoughts were comforting in my sleep, where I was completely aware.


	23. Chapter 23: Alone

It was strange how aware I was in my sleep. As my fatigue drained away, I tried to organize my thoughts.

Dad said I was gone for thirteen years... I was seven when I met Simon. We'd spent roughly a year together. So I was definitely twenty-one. Yikes, I was over eighteen already... But my Dad said I'd never age, so I guess I won't worry too much about that... for now. The Vampire King wasn't wrinkly, but he wasn't exactly a teenager either.

And now that I was a vampire, what was I going to do? Would I have to kill and drink blood? Simon's stories had vampires that evaporated at the sights of crosses and sunlight. I never could touch sunlight to begin with, now I had all the more reason to avoid it. The stories also told of how Vampires transformed into bats, mice and other ferocious animals. I imagined myself racing across the skies as a bat, soaring through the night.

There was also the issue of living back here. I don't think the diner would suit me forever. Actually, I couldn't think of any lodging I'd prefer. A restlessness had implanted itself and the idea of settling down suddenly felt uncomfortable. I wasn't going back to my dad.

My thoughts drifted to Simon. Now that I'm back, I might as well see how he's been doing. Is he still insane? Or has he, by some miracle, regained his sanity? And what of Bonnibel? What about her and this 'Candy Kingdom'? All these thoughts built up in my head and I was violently thrown awake.

"Ow..."

I fell onto the floor. How was that possible? I looked around the diner. I was about a foot away from where I thought I was sleeping. How did I get over here? And how did I_ fall_ unless I was... floating. In my sleep.

I don't bother trying to wrap my head around what just transpired. Instead, I focus on the outside.

The rain had stopped, thankfully, and there had yet to be sunlight streaming through the drab layer of clouds. I went outside and stretched, appreciating the fresh air compared to the stench of dead I had become so accustomed to. Unpleasant memories of my misadventures surface, and I shudder at the thought of having died. Death's eyes... I still felt them watching me...

After I got a nice whiff of fresh air, I went back in the diner. I pick up a few things along with the ax my dad left me and turn to leave. At the door, I turn one last time and shut the glass door.

…

The clouds were clearing up slowly, day by day. I could see the sky and... birds?

That was a sight. I didn't remember anything flying, much less singing. I had a surprisingly easy time running after them. Their nest was nestled in the branches of some tree growing out of a car.

The forest had changed a lot in thirteen years. I heard the sounds of so much activity and life around me. A small piglet walked by me on it's hind legs and looked at me funny. Unknowingly, I began to salivate.

When I began dribbling, I wiped it away in surprise. The piglet ran away just as I turned. Now I had to deal with my whole eating habit problem. What was I going to eat? Vampires only drink blood right..? I didn't want to look at those furry animals staring... I'd go mad hearing the throb of their blood coursing through their body... Warm blood, moving... My own blood is cold... I … need... warmth...

A shot of pain makes me open my eyes. I was sobbing and clutching myself quietly on the grass without knowing. My nails had dug into my arms and blood runs freely down my fingers. Right after I take my nails out, the wounds close almost immediately. I stare, horrified, at this body I had now acquired. I hastily wipe my tears and lunge forward without thinking. My body trembled the moment I put weight on my legs and I grabbed a nearby tree for support. It felt like the world was spinning too fast. I was left behind. A sickening feeling rises up in my stomach and I look up out of desperation.

A red, shiny apple hangs from a branch. It looked tantalizing. Especially that red... I lick my lips and jump. It snaps off easily and I take a bite. My fangs touch the fruit skin first, and I feel satisfaction spread throughout my body, like I'd eaten the whole fruit already. I chew on a chunk of apple and swallow.

A push, then a jolt. I retch and spit out the solid. The chewed up apple fell onto the grass. I coughed and tears sprang up to my eyes. That felt... disgusting. Why did it feel so gross? Aren't I starving? Then I glance at the apple in my hand and a little cry escapes my lips.

The apple had become a grayish white. I watch as it falls from my fingers. Did I do that? My fangs... did I drain the color? Is that what I ate? Why I felt satisfied? In that case, do I not have to kill to survive?

This new discovery scared me. I ran quickly from the tree and came to the edge of the forest. I recognize this place... A hill rose up in the open space and a sickly tree wriggled leafless at it's top. It was pathetic really, but this was where I found some of Simon's stuff...

In the distance, I saw the strange structure. It looked like a cage of some sort, made of loops and sticks. I didn't want to get any closer. There were rays of sunlight beginning to show through the clouds. I ran back into the forest and sat in the shade of a tree, waiting for the clouds to come again.

In the distance, I can swear I hear a voice slightly pitched. It sounds like Simon... if he were maniacally screaming "Gunther! Gunther! Where are you! You useless Gunther!"

I run a hand through my hair and lean on my knee. I close my eyes and smile. Gunther... Isn't that what he used to call me?

Ahh... I don't know anymore. I'm a vampire now. It feels just like the day I emerged from that burning city. Only then I had Simon beside me... Now I'm alone.

I snicker lightly at the solitude. Then a voice sounds from the bushes,

"What's so funny here?"

I turn to see a little elephant staring back at me.

"...Who? Me?"

"Yes. Now what's a lady like you doin' out here all alone in the dangerous forests of Ooo?"

She spoke with a strange voice. I remember Simon mimicking that kind of voice back when he acted out television shows. I don't understand what she meant. Or at least I think it's a she...

"I'm fine, thank you very much. What's Ooo?"

She seemed slightly annoyed but replied, "Ooo? Why, you tellin' me that you don't even know the name of the land you stand upon?"

I look at her incredulously. Here I am, a vampire teen with a red ax, talking to some mini-elephant in the forest who tells me that I'm in a place called Ooo... originally Earth.

Yeah, that's pretty believable.

* * *

Author's Note:

Finished _Shiki, _a vampire anime, lately and caught up on all the interesting Adventure Time tidbits. Happy New Year


	24. Chapter 24: Goodbye, Simon

The pygmy elephant introduced herself as Mrs. Trunks. She led me to a little pink house in the center of the woods. Yes, somehow an elephant built a house.

I didn't want to enter, but she pushed me in. She sat me down and began pouring out a cup of tea.

"Um... You don't have to..." I wasn't even sure if I could drink that.

She merely smiled, "It's just there if you want it."

I curled my hand around the warm ceramic. It was a quaint place. Kind of like those pictures in interior design magazines Simon had shown me before. He said he used to have a house like that. When I asked him about what happened to it, he just turned the page and ignored me. I wonder if it burned down or something...

Mrs. Trunks sits herself at the table and drinks from her cup. I look at the tea and take a cautious sip. Instantly, I feel a ripple through my insides and the tea comes back up from my throat. I stifle a cough and dribble onto a handkerchief at the table. Mrs. Trunks didn't seem to notice anything. She just casually takes another sip. As I wipe up my mess, I notice a ring on her finger.

"That's a nice ring..."

"Oh, thank you for noticing," She instinctively placed a "hand" over it, "I'm going to be getting married soon... My husband gave me just last week."

I wasn't exactly familiar with the binding marriage I'd heard Simon talk about. He said it was something he was going to have with Betty. It was a sort of celebration thing.

"Congratulations..."

"Thank you, dearie. Here, have more tea..."

She pours out more tea, much to my exasperation. I can't seem to drink or eat much, now that my body is adjusting to some weird vampire diet. As she is pouring, her hand brushes mine and she twitches lightly, but not so she drops her teapot.

"Are you cold, dear?"

She has a worried look on her face. I don't know what to tell her.

"No... I'm naturally like this..."

"Oh," She accepts the answer, "You're a lot like him. Are you related to the Ice King?"

I tense up at the mention of the deranged Simon's alias. It had been so long. He's here?

"...What do you mean? Ice King?"

"Well, you look like Ice King, with your arms and all that. You're also cold to the touch. He tried to abduct me the other day, see. Touch chilled me to the bone. Luckily..."

I stopped listening. All I can think about is that kind face behind those spectacles. Those kind, warm features warped into a cold, growling snarl and wild eyes that belonged to an animal. I run out of Mrs. Trunks house. I hear her call for me, but I keep running. Running... Running until... until I can see him again. Not the Ice King, I want Simon back. Simon...

…

Yes, I'll lay the foundation for the main body here... Then I'll have the satellite towers on the side. And maybe a basement, and ooh! A dungeon!

Ohh, this is going to be an awesome castle! Princesses will be flocking to me from all over Ooo once they see my hot pad!

There is one problem though. What kind of bed would attract chicks? Feather? Nah, too basic and troubling. Plus, I'd be sneezing my toes off. How about a bed of leaves? Eh, it would be natural, but that stuff tends to get all stuck up in my beard and really junks up my image.

Hmm... Oh! I've got it!

I make a list on the back of some picture. Some pillows, and a blanket... Ooh! A blanket of leopard skin! Yes, ol' Ice King, you are a genius! That manly cover's gonna attract lots of ladies for sure! But where to get it all...

Well, Ooo has a bunch of stuff lying everywhere. Heck, I got my drum set from one o' those places with the rectangle rooms and paved roads. Maybe I should look there.

Aww, but it's all the way across the forest... Even flying can be such a pain...

…

I see him hover over my head. He didn't see me.

"Ice King!" I shout at the top of my lungs, "Simon!"

Come on, come on! He still can't hear me...!

I climb up one of the trees and start yelling at the canopy. He stopped a little, but continued without so much as even looking at me. I start jumping tree to tree to catch up. But he was still at a higher altitude. If only I could fly...

Wait, can't vampires fly? I mean, I just floated my way into a table in my sleep the other day at the diner! But how do I fly?

I decide the best way is just to go with it. I jump from the canopy and think really hard about flying. I can hear the ground rushing up to meet me. I squeeze my eyes shut. If this doesn't work, it's gonna hurt whether I'm vampire or not...!

The air suddenly becomes still. I feel a force bounce against my chest. It holds me aloft and I feel like I'm wobbling in empty space. I crack an eye open and see myself suspended a few inches off the ground. I've done it! I can fly!

For a brief moment, ecstasy and disbelief muddle my mind as I try doing tricks in the air with my newly discovered power. After a few twirls and back flips, I finally realize what I forgot.

"Ack- Simon!"

Without further delay, I fly up above the treetops. Simon is just a speck in the distance now. I will myself to fly towards him as fast as I can. Suddenly, I feel as light as the clouds. The wind blows past me as I go faster than I ever could on foot. Simon enlarges at an alarming rate as I close in. But by the time I'm close, I'd forgotten to stop.

"Si-Oof!"

We collide and fall out of the air. The impact left me dizzy so I didn't feel my body hit the grass. I must have flown too fast... hit too hard... my head was ringing as I lay there, panting. Was Simon okay?

"Uhh... Ow... Huh? AHH!"

He sounds okay. I can't move yet to look though. There's a rustling of leaves as I hear him urgently muttering "Where is it? Where is it?"

With a grunt of effort, I heave myself to turn. Sure enough, he was searching through the nearby bushes. He's changed... a lot. The top of his head is bare except for a sprig of white hair, revealing his blue scalp. His nose is as long and pointy as ever, and his beard has grown to down to his thighs. He's wearing a blue tunic, and he seems somewhat... stunted. He's gotten humpback.

"Simon!"

I touch him on the shoulder and he turns. His eyes have gone completely white. I back away a few paces and he looks me up and down. Then he refocuses and goes back to frantically looking for his crown, I'm guessing.

"H-hold on a minute, babe! I... I just gotta... freshen up... There!"

The crown. The same old relic that took Simon away from me. Despite Simon's changes, the thing hasn't even been dirtied or dented even the slightest. A burning ache fills me just looking at that thing.

"Simon..." I breathe a small cloud. The air is already getting colder just standing around him.

"Whoa, you look nice! Haven't seen you around here before."

He doesn't remember me. Typical. I advance towards him in long strides. Frustration mounts itself uncontrollably and uncalled for in my mind. I can feel my fangs being bared and my senses going hyper.

"Simon!" I grab his shoulders firmly and try to stare into those blank eyes. He merely giggles.

"Ohh! So you wanna go into _that_ already, huh? Don't worry, Ice King don't judge."

I grit my teeth and try to talk some sense into him, "Listen to me. You're not the Ice King. Your name is Simon Petrikov. That... crown on your head did something to you. It's made you sick."

He looks over my head like in a daydream. I speak more urgently.

"You've got to remember! I'm Marceline! Marceline Abadeer! We met each other after the Mushroom War... You saved me, Simon! Listen to me!"

"Look, lady," He puts up his blue hands in resignation, "I think you've got the wrong guy here. But I'd be happy to take you back to my pad. Whaddaya say?"

He moves one of his eyebrows and winks at me. At this rate, I'm at a loss of what to tell him. My hands flop to my sides and I can only look down in shame.

"You... really don't remember?"

My voice is barely above a whisper. He shrugs and his beard begins to flap like wings, taking him off the ground.

"Listen, I dunno what you want but, come over to my place anytime ya want okay?"

I hear him fly off. A leaf blown off it's branch and a pine cone drop from his beard's flapping. I stand, numb, until I can't hear him anymore. I pick up the pine cone that fell. A single strand of his beard is draped across it... like caterpillar silk.

I expected a torrent to rush out, but I don't cry. Something may have changed in me... I can't feel the tears on my cheeks, but I can feel a pain in my chest. Sharp, hurting pain. It doesn't ebb or withdraw, it simply drags on and I realize that my heart is breaking. I'd cried out my tears before Death... now my heart is breaking and crying inside.

_"Hey, Marcy"_

I find myself at that ragged, little, pathetic tree on the hill again. It's easy to tell that it was already dead. Something had eaten away it's roots.

_"Want me to show you how to grow a tree?"_

I find it remarkably easy to yank the whole thing away, gnawed roots and all. I toss it aside and throw the pine cone into the fresh crevice.

_"Dig a hole, plant a seed, cover it up..."_

I pick away at the critters that I think killed the previous sapling. Then I cover the hole with soil from the sides and pat down the surface with my hands.

_"Water so it'll grow..."_

_ "And when we're done? Then what?"_

_ "Sing it a song so it'll grow nice and strong!"_

"... Sometimes you want to go... Where everybody knows your na-a-a-ame..."

The soil was watered by salty tears.

"Good bye, Simon..."


	25. Chapter 25: Hambo

Have I done it? Are you happy, Betty? I did it... I saved the world!

Look, the world is just nothing now... all ice and snow... the ultimate frost. It's just us now, Betty... Aren't you happy? Look at me... we can be together here in paradise, my princess.

Wait, what's that? No, I can't hear you... what did you say? Betty? Betty? Where... where did you go...

What, no...

No...NONONONONONONONO...

NO!

I... I can't do that... I can't do... as this thing tells me... I won't abandon everything... I won't let you end everything...!

What... What are you trying to show me? A... meteor? A green meteor... A man with a white beard and a green dinosaur. The apprentice was named Gunther... And he... the Ice Wizard, he was...

The Ice King.

…

Mrs. Trunks didn't seem surprised when I came back for my ax. She said in a sweet voice, "Come on back any time now, y'hear?" I walked away without saying goodbye but I didn't hear any disapproval following.

Ooo... it's not much different from when I left if you discount the talking animals and strange magic things all around. The other day, I can swear I saw a pile of rocks moving in the shape of a person. From the woods, I can see a white tower of something being formed where I had seen the cage structure. I'm guessing that something is building something there. If they have the brains to build it, I guess it's worth checking out sometime.

The city is gone now. San Francisco, I mean. Things have either been left to erode or have already been driven into the ground. But from the looks of it, things have been taken as well. There is one thing intact though. A muddy vending machine. It's that Super Porp stuff that I stopped drinking since Simon told me not to. Even if I wanted, the machine's empty now anyway.

Even while looking at the ruin, I can't help but think it's weird where all those monsters could've crawled off to. Looking overhead, there's not a sign of them at all. Did they vanish or just die off?

Simon's on my mind too. All those years we spent in fear of these monsters, all the rescues and chases and scavenging...

Well, it looks like I've gone full circle. Only now I don't have Simon anymore...

And my Dad too. He was never there for me in the first place. I look at the note he'd left me. _MALOSO VOBISCUM ET CUM SPIRITUM_... those words hold a strange power. Even after I rip up the note, they stick in my head.

I decided when I bid Simon farewell. I'd never see him again. The magic that bound him in his own little delusions couldn't be severed by me. It's better that I save myself the heartbreak of seeing him not himself. Whatever he sees through his iced-up visions, I don't know. All I do know is... I'm not even there to him anymore. He's forgotten me. All traces of our time together lie in those missing photos and...

...Hambo.

Hambo! How could I have forgotten?!

That bear... is the last vestige left. I have to find it. But thirteen years seems to have changed a good deal of the planet. It's not impossible that Hambo was destroyed or eaten by something. Still, I've got so much time to kill now that I'm immortal... and there's nothing else for me here anyway.

…

…

"Unh... Oh, bread balls..."

I pick myself up from the floor of a dark icy room. Looking up, I glimpse the sight of a starry night sky through a translucent ice roof.

"Hey! Marcy! Come loo-" I stop myself from calling excitedly. I remember... Her tearful, pleading voice... and I pushed her away.

But what could I do?! I keep seeing almost eternal visions of a warped world now, there's no telling what I do under that influence. I've changed completely now, into the vision of that wizard I saw... The Ice King, Evergreen.

I don't know what connection I have exactly with the whole thing. The visions are disorienting and horribly fragmented. Makes me wonder what this crown is trying to show me...

A throb. A pulse. A pulsating sound vibrates from my head. The crown, the crown...

_I wish I was... Master Evergreen..._

I see a green dinosaur, a baby t-rex, I think, standing before a ball of what looks like white nothingness with a crown on his head. I can't hear myself shrieking in agony or my fingertips bleed from scratching at the crown as more visions flash before my eyes. I can only feel myself going away forever, as though I'm an object to be locked in an attic for the rest of eternity. A sudden calm issues, and I am plunged into further madness. The visions grow in intensity, and I no longer feel myself...

_You are the Ice King_

"Yes... I am."

…

After a few days of dead ends and strangling annoying animals, I find myself at a place called Mountain of Matthews. I heard it from some lopsided goose who annoyed me with rhymes as I was about to butcher him with my ax. I let him go.

Black trees arch over the path into the heart of the mountain. It's pretty dark inside, but my eyes had no difficulty seeing through the pitch blackness. Lumps and lumps of these white mushy marble things sat in globs just outside the mouth of a cave. I swear they twitched when I flew by.

Flitting everywhere has become the new norm for me. No more trudging out my dogs!

After the long tunnel, I come into a large cavern. It just stops here, but I can see a strange three-faceted indent in the wall. It was three tall mirror-like slabs cut into the wall and there was space for a person to stand in the center. As I approach, the center mirror wall shines and reveals a pathway. I walk into the image, thinking I'd be hitting my face on an illusion, but I actually pass through. Now I'm in another part of the cave.

The place practically glows red from heat rising from a pit. Smoke and steam roil from some red stuff sloshing around at the bottom. Judging from the heat, I decide it's not safe to drink, no matter how red.

"Hello."

I look up and find myself staring at a giant white mass of what looks like that gooey white stuff I flew by at the entrance. It has eyes and a thin line for a mouth.

"Hello," It says again in a gravelly voice, "Welcome, Marceline Abadeer to the heart of the mountain."

"How... do you know my name?"

"I am who the flesh named Matthew. I exist to incorporate all into my being as preparation for the coming of the Second Terror. When the time comes, I will become the next force of life to spring from all the junk. I will become the life of everything and all will be incorporated into my essence."

I didn't understand even half of that junk. But it sounded as though he _eats_ other things. I'm reaching for my ax when a deep rumbling issues forth from his lower body.

In one huge _BLAAAAARRGH_, he throws up a bunch of junk. Car tires, radios, rocks... all sticky from being inside of him.

"Eugh... Stuff that doesn't coalesce to my being..." He mutters.

Amidst the junk, I see the head of a familiar bear sticking out from behind a fishing rod. It couldn't be...

But yes! It was! Hambo!

He still looked like his ol' raggedy self. My old button was still sewed on tightly and the patches were only slightly tearing apart. Despite the gross stickiness, I hug him tightly. I can still smell the familiar scent on him...

"So? Have you come to join with me?"

I twitch at the suggestion. I stand, still holding Hambo, and begin to back away. Matthew makes no move to come any closer. His face and voice are complacent, monotone.

"Very well. Maybe when you are older. All will be one sooner or later. It is inevitable."

His words were foreboding and bore a sinister tone. Even more than my fathers. I rush back through the portal, not looking back, and end up back at the black tree entrance.

My pulse is slightly elevated and my breath was a little labored. But that didn't matter right now. I'd gotten out of that weird mountain,and I have Hambo again.

I look at his scraggly smiling face and feel myself smiling for once in a long time. The sky is covered in a beautiful blue and I'm sure the sun will show through soon as well.


	26. Chapter 26: Second Meeting

I've been coming out to check on that tree constantly. It seems to be growing pretty well. The ways of survival have now been molded into my mind. Always travel light, fast, and quiet. Don't get distracted by the weird things around you, just get to your destination.

I nimbly snap an apple off the branch and just bite. My fangs just naturally suck all the red sustenance from it and I throw the mushy leftover away. It's become natural for me to follow this vampire instinct of mine. It's been maybe a week or more since I got reunited with Hambo, and ever since I got out of that white diaper things' lair, I've felt more hyper sensitive to the environment.

"Look there, Hambo."

I lift Hambo so he'd see the white peak still forming over the trees.

"I'm pretty sure someone's building something there. One day, maybe we'll go see it when it's finished..."

"Hey, look! Marcy's talking to a toy!"

A rude, familiar voice. I turn to face it, hiding Hambo behind me.

"W-Wendy?!" I look, incredulous, at the poltergeist.

She smiles in a knowing way and wafts over to me. She looks conspicuously at Hambo.

"Hey, GUYS!" At her beckon, Booboo and Georgy appear from the ground. The three of them... they haven't changed a bit.

"Wow, Marceline," Georgy looks at me thoroughly, "You haven't changed one bit. Well, save for your hair, your height..."

"What are you all doing here?" I can't tell if I'm happy or just plain surprised.

"Ghosts are allowed up here, y'know? That's where haunting comes from," Wendy states as-a-matter-of-fact, "And here we find you. What happened? No fleshies ever come back like this. They usually turn zombie, or what."

I remember they ditched me when I was at the mouth of the Vampire caverns. So they don't know about my transformation. Should I be mad at them, or…?

"Anyway, it's good to see you again. Hey," Georgy nudges my ribs, "We could form a gang again! Up here! Plenty of lives to scare the daylights outta!"

Booboo nods enthusiastically. I have to admit, it feels nice to have someone familiar around you after a long period of solitude. Even if they were cowards.

"Heh, alright. Check this out."

I somersault through the air and land just a few feet above the ground. The three ghosts stare at me like _whaaat?_

"When did you learn that? You always needed one of us to help you fly!"

"Things happened in the caverns."

"Tell us! Tell us!" And the four of us sat for a bit of catching up. It was night before long, but the dark only fueled us. The moon shone through the clouds, and I can see wolves in the distance.

"Let's get 'em!" Wendy exclaims a battle cry and charges into the wolves. They suddenly glow with reddish lines on their body and don't cower like usual animals would.

Fire. They breathed fire on Wendy. Luckily, she could escape the flames and of course, flew back to us and led the pack to us as well. I wrestled a few of them and it was fun, snapping their necks and biting the life out of their bodies-

"URGH!"

I let go of the wolf I was strangling. Smoke came from burns on my skin that corresponded with the red hot lines that ran over the wolf's body. Up close and in focus, I can see that these were wolves that have _changed_.

My skin sealed up fast enough, but it was a bad idea to continue fighting. Before long, we were all tired out. The wolves retreated over the hill. I floated after them.

"Wait! Marceline! Where are you going?!"

"Those weren't regular wolves! I want to find their den!"

"What?! That's suicide!" As I float further away, their cautions seem pointless.

"Don't worry! I'm already dead!" I yell back, uncertain they even heard that.

At the apex of the hill, I see a strange sight. I hadn't looked around as much as I thought. And I'd never looked over this particular direction. A black sky bordered the blue and had a red glow beneath. A black mountain was under that sky. The grass withered away towards the mountain and instead becomes black rock and red stuff. There is considerable heat emanating from the area. The wolves run on the black rock paths into the mountain. I hear howling shortly after.

"What a dump."

Wendy and the others appear next to me, "This must be what they call fire and lava huh?"

"You guys... don't know what that is either?"

"There's never anything to haunt around these places, so we never bothered."

"Welp. Nothing to do with us, nothing we can do about it. Let's hit the hay, y'all." Georgy yawns and floats away.

"That dumb Georgy. He forgets ghosts can't sleep."

…

It's true. Even though ghosts can't sleep, they can feign it pretty well. The three of them look like lumps suspended in air. Even their snoring sounds pretty authentic.

When I lay to sleep, I find that I can sleep floating. That probably was why I bumped my head the other day. Well, if I drift in my sleep, how can I be sure I won't wake up lost? So I tie a rope around my waist and a boulder and sleep afloat.

My dreams were mostly of these weird people that I couldn't recognize. I saw my dad though. And Death. And the Vampire King. He still looked decrepit as ever. But now, a stillness ruled over him. This was a strangely palpable and lucid dream. I could still remember the cold hardness of the stone floor... and the pain...

"_MY QUEEN..."_

I could feel him looking at me directly. Wait, am I actually there? Back in the Dead world? But how? The stench of his breath distracts me and he slowly lumbers to me. Given how weak he looks and my new vampire powers, I could probably just knock him over with my pinky.

But I don't. I can't. It's like I'm immobilized by something. As he nears, I get the same feeling as when he bit me. I feel my insides freeze and my sweat drip as the memory of the agonizing pain resurfaces vividly.

He looked like he was going to embrace me. The moment he touched me though, he turned to ashes and they passed over me, like rain. Suddenly, I felt a deep growling surface from my throat and the irresistible urge to kill, rip and tear. I could feel myself getting stronger, more monstrous...

I ram into the earthen pillars to try and control my feral urge and...

"HEY!"

The scenery changes. I'm stuck in the rubble of some cake-like candy stuff. I lift myself up, feeling heavy.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

A cloaked figure slides down the mess. It looks tiny compared to me.

"Yeah, you! I'm talking to you, you giant bat!"

Bat? I look at my hands. What the- they're huge! And my feet... They're huge too. What happened to me?!

"You just broke a part of my candy wall! That'll take days to fix! Ugh... Do you even understand what I'm saying?"

"Yeah. I kinda do."

I hadn't meant to reply. There is a silence of shock. The figure pulls off the hood and reveals a startlingly familiar pink face.

"I must say, I've never seen a beast intelligent enough to talk before..."

"Beast? What- NO! Bonnibel... is that you?" I get down on one knee, "It's me, Marceline Abadeer. We met before..."

"Marceline...? Marceline Abadeer..." She gasps, "My GLOB... what happened to you?"

"Um... I don't know. I was dreaming and you called so I woke up and … yeah."

"Did you come in contact with any of the green stuff?" As she speaks, she points toward a green river, "That's crazy biz and could kill or mutate you."

"No... I didn't."

"Huh. Well, do you want to come in? Maybe there's something in my research notes that can undo this, um, transformation."

"... Will I fit?"

"Okay... then I'll run inside and you wait out here, okay?"

I agree for the sake of it. She scurries away, back into the weird structure. It has a sweet smell, like this cake wall I broke. She's changed a lot.

Still... what happened to me? What did the vampire king do?!

"What are you supposed to be?"

"Huh?"

A rock strikes the side of my head as I turn. There are a couple of funny men wearing towels looking at me distastefully.

"Think this is that secret weapon Bubblegum's got?"

"Dunno, boss won't say."

"Well, I say let's kill it! That fur'll look mighty fine right round my buns don'cha think?"

"Let's take it back to the boss first..."

They talk in low voices, but I can hear them. Not that I understand what their talking about.

One begins howling like mad and jumps on my shin and starts punching it. It didn't hurt much but I kicked him off anyway. He slammed into a tree and knocked it over. The others come at me all at once and I just slap them off. They retreat yelling like dingdongs.

"What happened?" Bonnibel rushes back out with an armload of papers and books. A small girl trails behind carrying more stuff. The girl is missing an arm.

"Oh, some guys in... towels, I guess, were here and..."

"The Bath Boy gang, ugh!" Bonnibel drops her load in frustration, "What is their problem?"

"Who's this?" I eye the little girl in front of me and she stares back. She has black hair like me.

Bonnibel collects her composure, "This is Shouko, my assistant."


	27. Chapter 27: Starting a Band

That Shouko is a quiet girl. She only seems close to the Princess and works vigilantly. I don't even understand half of what they're saying as they look through books with diagrams and scribbles.

"Marceline, do you mind if I take a blood sample?"

"Huh? Ow!" Before I even consent, she's already stuck a needle in my long, wrinkly arm. I guess it'll be worth it. I don't want to be some monstro-bat forever... But it'd help if I ever had to wonk some guys bricks real hard.

"I'll run some tests on this in the lab. And I'll get lunch. Marceline, Shouko? What do you guys want?"

"Um... I'll just go hunting..." I scratch my head. It's odd that my voice remains the same. It doesn't fit my new appearance.

"I'll keep an eye on her, princess," Shouko raises her nub arm, "I can get some berries or something."

"Alright, keep safe y'all."

Bonnibel disappears inside the tunnel of sponge cake. I glance at Shouko.

She's small, but she'd be about up to my shoulder in my normal form. Her skin is greenish and her hair is lustrous black. She has eyes that remind me of a cat. If it weren't for her skin, I'd think she's human. Is this what humans have become? Whatever, I turn and lumber away. I hear her footsteps as she runs after me. She's dressed like that hero I read about in Simon's book of stories. Some person who steals for the poor, I think?

"Hey... Wait up!"

I stop. She pants heavily from the effort. I guess I can move a lot further now with these long legs. But these wings...

"Hey Marceline."

"Huh?"

"How do you know the princess?"

"Oh, uh..." How do I say we met while I was dead?

"We met at a party. Not much details."

"Oh."

"What about you?"

"She took me in."

She said that indifferently. I wanted to ask more, but I could tell she didn't want to talk about it.

We neared the hill where I had planted the tree. I glance back and I can see it now. That white thing was a castle Bonnibel was building. It's made of cake and frosting, so it looked like a snowy whipped peak. Shouko notices the sapling I planted.

"What's this tree here? Seems out of place..."

"Oh, I just planted it here. There used to be an older tree, but it died. I guess it does stick out..."

"Hey look," Shouko points to the horizon bordered by tree tops and mountains, "Dawn is breaking."

Oh no. The sun. A crack in the sky pours light out onto the earth. It's been so long since I'd seen it. I could probably die, but it's beauty entrances me so I stay rooted. The light travels along the grass and the shadows creep back. The moment one ray shines on my foot, I smell burning. Burning flesh.

"Marceline?!"

I hear Shouko yell. But I just keep looking. The rays rise along my body and the smell intensifies. When it reaches my eyes, my vision blanks out from the intense light. I am swallowed by the whiteness.

…

_Marceline..._

I look up to my mom's face. She smiles as I rest my head on her legs.

"Don't sleep it away, it's a beautiful day..."

I giggle. She's right. The sky's blue with clouds providing some shade and a cool breeze mitigates the sun rays. We sit under an old tree, just outside the city.

This was where my mom met my dad. She won't talk about it much, the day they met. I hadn't known my dad very well. On days like this, it was always just the two of us. I always did wish though, that the three of us could sit together. Like those other people I often see in these grassy plains. Flap out a checkered blanket, place your basket on top and just enjoy it. We don't do that. Even in the shade.

I close my eyes and hear the wind wash over the grass in a long sigh. _Sha sha sha_...

Mom told me that the wind carries our wishes. If I wish, will I be heard?

"I wish... Daddy was here with us..."

…

Was that all a dream? Was it all a lie? I don't know...

Did dad ever love mom? Why did they meet if he never cared?

For the first time, I'm looking at the past hopelessly. The dream fades and I lie in darkness again. I was obliterated by the sunlight right? Stupid me. The sun was bound to come back some day and I should be happy... Everyone else gets their light back. But no one needs me here anymore. I don't belong … I'm not even alive.

_Marceline... _

_ Marceline!_

Who is that? Is there someone else here? Where are you? I don't want to be all alone... Where... Save me...

I open my eyes to a bright harsh lamp. Where am I?

"Marceline!"

Bonnibel's head comes into view. She's wearing the crown and a white coat.

"Oh, thank glob you're okay. Just... don't move yet alright? You're body's still a mess and I don't think your neck is fully regenerated yet... Good glob I thought you died for sure..."

I blink. I can't seem to speak. I can't feel my arms or legs. There's a strange slurping sound going on in the surroundings, but I can't turn my head to see.

"Shouko! Make sure she doesn't move around. I'm going to get more protein from the closet!"

Bonnibel moves out of view and Shouko enters from the other side. She looks really frazzled up.

"H...Hey Marceline... How do you feel?"

I can only blink. Does she know I can't talk right now?

"Ooh, you look gross right now... But don't worry, the Princess will fix you right up. She's real smart. But... I didn't know you were intolerant of sunlight."

Alright. I get it. I should've gotten to shade and not burned to dust.

"Next thing I know, you'd just... melted in the sunlight... And you were still smoking. I was so scared... I called the princess and she had her banana guards carry you here, into her lab. Some of you fell off along the way, but they're sticking back together now..."

Ugh. That must be the gross sound in the background then. My flesh melding together again. I hear a clatter and the princess' voice. Shouko's head snaps up when Bonnibel calls her and she goes to attend to her. They speak in a low voice. A buzzing fills my head and I feel sleepy. Maybe it's because I was almost vaporized. Anyways, I close my eyes and drift to sleep.

…

Shouko's snoring wakes me up.

I can swivel my head now, and my mouth works. I flex my hand and feel my toes wiggle. Everything seems to work. With a small grunt of effort, I sit up. Hey, I'm not a monster bat anymore!

There are some wires running into my arms. I'm dressed in some weird stiff blouse shirt thing that reaches to my knees. Bonnibel's white machines and junk are all crowding around the table I was sitting on. Shouko sits outside of the little enclosure, on a chair by the door, snoring. Bonnibel comes in, looking rather sleep deprived.

"Oh," She yawns, "Morning, Marceline..."

"Bonnibel, you look exhausted..."

"Yep, well it's nothing... I was up all night working on a new project..." She says groggily.

"Listen, I gotta bolt. My stuff is still with Wendy and the others. I'll be back later..."

"Oh... Oh sure..." She leans in on a box and promptly dozes off. I drape a blanket on her before floating out of the room.

…

Wendy and the others practically jumped at me when I went back. I told them what happened with my nightmare and all the weird things with the cake castle. I wish I hadn't told them I was planning on going back though. Because now they insist that I introduce them to royalty. After I lost a wrestling match to Booboo, and learned that vampires are no match for ghosts, I had to lead them there.

"So why are ghosts stronger than vampires anyway?"

"Who cares? It's like that game humans played. Rock... Knife scissors or something... How does a rock lose to paper? It doesn't! But it happens anyway!"

That was a weird logic. We approach the white cake towers and I see green... bananas (I think?) standing guard on the places where you'd usually place strawberries. As we approach, one of them notices and blows a horn.

"Oh, Gob! Run for the hills!" Georgy falls over from trying to float away too fast.

"Calm down, you weenies. They're just welcoming us."

And sure enough, Shouko comes to greet us.

"Hey Marceline. And hello, um..."

"This is Wendy, Booboo and Georgy. We used to be in a gang in the Underworld."

"Are they... ghosts?"

"Hey!" Wendy gets up close to Shouko, "She's human! Almost anyway. Wow, you must have some good brains in that noggin."

"Uh, back off guys," I place some distance between the ghosts and Shouko, "You can't just eat someone's brain."

"Uh, sure we can. And you can't do anything about it, Marceline."

They advance. I'd seen them suck out animal brains before, and it is not pretty. What do I do...?

"Step away from them, ghosts."

We all turn to see Bonnibel holding a vacuum cleaner menacingly pointed at the ghosts. They back away, fear on their faces.

"Marceline, don't think I've had the honor of being introduced."

"She's Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum."

The trio hurriedly stumble trying to curtsy or bow with their ectoplasmic forms. Wendy wears a strained expression, one I'd never seen before.

"P-put that thing away, will you? We promise we won't go for her brains okay?"

"Hmf," The princess lowers her weapon as a vouchsafement, "I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Phew, that was close. Good thing ghosts are weak against vacuums. After that tense moment, Bonnibel gives us a grand tour of her Candy Kingdom. It's still under construction apparently and it's tough given that they built near a toxic river.

"Right there is the debris we collected. It's gonna be the junkyard."

She points at a pretty big scrap pile. The ghosts insist on scavenging, so we take a look around. I see some other stuffed animals, like Hambo, there.

"Looky here!" Wendy kicks at an old drum set, "I think it still works!"

"Huh, that's not as cool as this... uh, thing I found," Georgy blows on a saxophone, and laughs at the resulting sound, "Haha, somebody farted!"

"Ghosts know what a fart is?" Shouko looks incredulously as they fool around with the instruments they found intact.

"They've been around a while. Haunting for a few hundred years means you get a feel of life and time, even if they don't apply to you."

I run my hands along an old banjo with a string broken. I remember... Simon guiding my hand as we plucked the strings together... singing and making up the music and lyrics as we go along...

"Ladadadada..." I vocalize.

"Hey... We can be bandits!"

"Huh?"

"You know, that thing humans called bandits... With music, and people and..."

"Georgy, that's a _band._" Wendy rolls her eyes, "But that does sound pretty swell. Like our old gang!"

"Hmm..." Bubblegum seems to consider the idea, "I have an old keyboard lying around somewhere... The bananas could use a little entertainment. I've heard that music helps fruit flourish. Be right back."

She leaves. Shouko eyes the ghosts flatly. Wendy floats up to my ear.

"We're not really gonna let her be in the band, are we? I thought it was gonna be just us, Marc..."

"Oh, come on. The Princess is chill," I try to fix the string, "Besides, she's my friend too."

Wendy, Georgy and Booboo seemed to consider that. I can't read their faces very well, but I thought they darkened for just a moment.

…

It was a while before I realized I was still wearing that stiff white gown. Wendy suggested we design t-shirts for our band. Bonnibel said we could use whatever materials we could find.

"How do you make a shirt?"

"You sew." I reply as-a-matter-of-fact.

"Uhh... how?"

"Well, you need fingers for starters..." I remember a little bit of sewing from my mom. I patched Hambo up all the time.

"Excuse me."

We look up from our pile of salvaged fabrics. A hooded person stands a bit off ways. The cloak is tattered and I see he has a beard that's dark gray.

"'Sup, wizard?" Wendy immediately says. Wizard?

"I see you're … up-cycling?"

"You know this guy?" I try to whisper inconspicuously to Wendy.

"Yeah, he's a wizard, he's concealing his face right now using magic."

"How can you tell?"

"Ghost vision." She replied simply.

"Hel_lo_," The wizard extends a hand toward me, "I don't believe we've met. Excuse me appearance..."

With a flourish, he pulls off his cape. The beard disappears. He has grayish skin and white silky hair tied and parted. I thought he was... handsome.

"I'm Ash."


	28. Chapter 28: Magic

Ash watched as we were querulous over the details of the band. I could feel his eyes. They were so fixated on me. But mine were on him too. He just seemed so likeable. Wendy grumbles something about how untrustworthy wizards were.

"Why?"

"They draw their magic on love, ya get it?"

"That sounds nice..." I say in a naive way.

Wendy snorts and calls me a little kid. She floats away to take a break. I don't really get what they say sometimes.

"Hey," Ash sidles over, "You look pretty gnarly, playin' that thing."

"This? It's a banjo; and you haven't seen me at my best yet," I say, trying to impress him, "I'm really more of a guitar person."

"Really? Well," He picks up my Dad's ax, "This is also a beauty."

"Hey, careful. My dad gave that to me..."

Ash looks at me sideways. I got a weird taste of the word "dad" in my mouth and that probably showed on my face.

"Don't like him much, huh?" Ash says finally.

"... No."

I grumble a little. He was my dad. And he just left me. And what about mom? What about all those times...

Then again, I never knew him very well. What he did and why... Mom never asked anything. Did he have a reason for helping me live this far? Why does he appear now, anyway? All these things about him that I'll never understand...

"Y'know. This is yours now, ain't it?" He says that thoughtfully, as he stares at the ax blade.

"...Yeah." I say a bit wistfully. Did my dad mean for this to be some sort of compensation for all those years of abandonment? That was stupid... I'd rather have him travel with me instead, and be next to me. Didn't he get that?

Ash mutters a mantra over the ax and the banjo disappears from my hands. The ax suddenly sprouts strings and knobs. He remodeled it into a bass. It was beautiful. With a grin, he hands it to me. I was speechless.

"Now it's really yours."

I flung my arms around him. It had been a long time since I'd hugged anyone other than Simon like this. Ash isn't warm though, like Simon was. He's a bit clammy and lukewarm. I pull back a bit so we lock eyes. He has dark irises, I can't see my reflection. It's like they swallow me whole.

"You have any free time?"

…

Wendy and the other ghosts wanted to continue working on the band thing. Shouko stayed by to help, and keep an eye on them. I lean on Ash's shoulder. A breeze blows over the hill and ruffles the grass. It's a calm night.

"Ash... You're a wizard, right?"

I was reminded of what Wendy said about wizards. They "draw their magic on love", she said, but what does that mean?

"Your magic... How does it work?"

Ash looks up at the dark sky, "Wizards and witches alike... They use elemental magic. So often times, we get magic from nature. Why do you ask?"

"What about love?"

"Well..." He looks thoughtful for a moment, "Yeah... Wizards also draw magic from a source... like their own magic well or an artifact. Emotions, though, they're useful for making magical objects. The more emotion imbued, the more powerful it is."

"Mm..." I wasn't really interested. So I changed the subject, "How old are you?"

"Now that's a touchy subject. Does it matter?"

"No... What did you do to your hair?"

He has this weird hairstyle. Two long tails flop over his shoulders and one long partitions down the middle of his face. The rest of his head is bald.

"This? It's called stylish back in Wizard City-" He stops himself.

"Wizard City?" I sit up, "Where's that?"

"Sorry, babe," He chuckles nervously, "Wizards and magic users only... I shoulda kept my mouth shut. Don't tell anyone. You're not even supposed to know it exists! You didn't hear it from me!"

Wizard City...Something sparked in my mind.

"Hey... can a Wizard... change time?"

"Huh?" Ash looks at me a little oddly, "Well... No... The greatest magics that were able to do that... They were all killed by Bella Noche a while back."

"Although..." He says, deep in thought, "If a powerful wand... or some thing... could be used..."

He began muttering to himself, forgetting I was there. I lean back and feel the wind as I look out to the Candy Kingdom's construction in the shadowy horizon. It was hopeful thinking of mine. A wizard that could change time would definitely be able to help me make things up with Simon. I'd see him again, normal and sane.

"There's always the Wish maker," Ash says suddenly, "The almighty Prizmo, who can grant wishes; he can alter time and space."

Prizmo... "Where would I find this guy?"

"Haha! That's just it! No one's ever been able to find him! No one even knows where to look, if he's even on Ooo..."

He puts an arm around me, much to my surprise, "What? Aren't you happy now?"

His cold skin isn't assuring like Simon's. But I smile anyway.

"I am."

…

Ash flies away on his magic carpet after dropping me off at the junkyard. Everyone was still working.

"Hey, Marceline! I got my keyboard!" Bonnibel runs towards me. She sees the carpet disappear into a dot, "Where were you?"

"Oh, um... I was... just hanging out with a wizard. His name's Ash."

At the word "wizard", she pursed her lips.

"Wizards are no good company, Marceline," She chides, "They always want you to believe in this 'magic' that's not scientific. It's unnatural and illogical."

"You... don't believe in magic?" I find it hard to believe that with all the ghosts and stuff around here that someone didn't believe in magic.

"Pff. Of course not. It's all a big hoax! I'm a scientist. I believe in what exists and is real. That's science!"

"...Then what am I?" I say that a bit defiantly, "Aren't vampires and ghosts magic?"

"Ghosts are made of ectoplasmic matter. That can easily be classified under the slime element on the Ooo element table. See?" She draws a symbol on a scrap of paper depicting a circle divided into quarters labeled slime, candy, fire, and ice, "As for a vampire, their qualities are of a humans' bought back to life. So I suspect some sort of virus is messing around in there and keeping you alive..."

A virus? Was she serious?

"No, I was bit by the Vampire King and-"

"Exactly! He was carrying said virus and transferred it via fluid transferal!" She says, "Perfectly scientific!"

"Princess!" Shouko comes running, "We've decided on a shirt design!"

"Ooh! Let's have a look!"

They ran ahead of me. I still couldn't believe Bonnibel's denying magic! If that's not it, then what drove Simon mad? It was that crown, that's what!

"Marceline! Are you coming?"

"..." I float idly toward the gathering.

The band shirt was black with a picture of two skewered octopus balls and a snake in the center of a swamp surrounded by grass in the middle. The snake slithers around the skewers and opens its mouth to show its fangs and tongue.

"This kid here," Wendy nudges Shouko, "Came up with the idea for a black shirt."

"And they told me what to draw on it!" Shouko beams a little, "Princess, I'm going to copy these in the lab."

"Huh? Oh, alright..."

Bonnibel looks... disappointed by the design. I personally like it.

"Is it too much?" I ask her after the ghosts left and Shouko was in the lab. Dawn was coming, "The shirt, I mean."

"No... It's fine!" She looks at me a bit sadly, "We'll... We could put on a show for my kingdom! The Candy citizens would love it... I gave them the ability to appreciate the arts, you know...?"

"Bonnie..." She flinches when I call her by a nickname, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... Nothing's wrong..." She looks away, "I... I have to go back..."

She leaves me alone at the junkyard entrance. I watch her run back to her castle. What was bugging her so bad? Why was she so... so sad?

I found a small lump in my throat. Just looking at her sad... it made me want to cry...


	29. Chapter 29: Shouko

I waited out the day in the kingdom. Shouko and I shared a room in a tent just a little away from the cake walls. I can look out to see that green river Bonnibel had mentioned. It reeked of something familiar... something evil. The day seemed to stretch on for a while and waiting was boring, so I napped. When I woke, it was night and I decided to look inside the main castle structure.

A green banana directs me to Bonnibel's study, where I find her sleeping on her desk.

"Um... Wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

"Mmmnn...? Not... now... Gum... Bald..." She murmurs lightly in her sleep.

"Hey, not even close. Come on, you're burning daylight!"

She blinks and looks at me groggily. As she rubs her eyes, I notice she has spectacles laying on the table. She stands and yawns.

"Mmm... Mornin' Marceline..." She seems to forget I wouldn't be here in the daytime.

"Hey, Bonnibel, I've got a question..."

"Go ahead."

"Do you know who Prizmo is?"

What Ash said about wishes got me thinking. If I could just find the guy...

"Huh? Oh, no. Prizmo, the omnipotent wish-maker? That's just another bunch of baloney those magic believers made up," She waves her hand dismissively, "No one could have that much power to create and destroy matter on a whim."

"Princess, I've got your – Oh, Marceline! You're here!" Shouko enters with an armload of odd papers and glass tubes, "Can't wait for the concert tonight!"

"Concert?"

"Yeah, Wendy came to me and the Princess last night. We all thought we'd, y'know, try out our first gig at home."

A concert sounded awesome, especially since I got that new bass from Ash. But it felt weird to me. And from the look on Bonnibel's face, I could tell she didn't want to do it.

"Are you … okay with this?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Sure..." She and Shouko get to work on some science thing. I let myself out.

Ash stood just on the other bank of the toxic river. The moon had begun showing up now, and it's light made his hair look like silver. I tackle him from the air and wrap my arms around his neck.

"Whoa! What's made you so happy?"

"I'm playing at my first professional concert tomorrow! Here, in the kingdom. You'd better come."

He chuckles, "Why play it here? You'd be a hit in Wizard City – Oh, I did it again!"

I laugh as he curses over his slip of the tongue.

"Hey, it's not funny. Look at it from my perspective. If I'm caught telling you classified info, they'll strip me for sure!"

"They'll take your clothes?"

"NO! They'd take away my magic! Then where'll I be?"

"Well," I land a kiss on his cheek, "We don't need magic to be together."

"Oh, heh," He blushes and gets all giddy, "I, uh, I guess we don't. Heh..."

I look up at the moon. I still remember that night me and Simon saw the night sky again for the first time in so long. The moon wasn't there then, and I thought I'd see it with him. But he's not here anymore. Then a funny thought hit my head.

"Ash... Do you know any Ice Wizards?"

"Huh? Uh... yeah, I can think of a few."

"Do any of them serve the Ice King?"

"Who's that?"

"Oh, never mind," Mrs. Trunks had known him, so I assumed Ash might, "It's alright if you don't know."

He looks at me blankly. Suddenly a streak of white blue light flies over our heads and into the kingdom. A loud scream is heard shortly. I recognize it as Bonnibel's voice.

"What the- Hey!" Ash calls after me as I fly as fast as I can after the light, ax in hand.

I find the Ice King cornering Shouko, who's trying to protect Bonnibel behind her with a ruler.

"Outta my way, pipsqueak!" He easily slaps the ruler out of Shouko's hands and shoves her aside.

"SIMON!" I barrel into him and after rolling for a few seconds, I pin him to the floor, "Simon! Stop this!"

"You again?" He blasts me in the chest and freezes me to the room ceiling, "Sorry, babe, maybe another time. Right now, I got me a Prince–oof!"

Bonnibel swings a heavy almanac about like a club. She utters a battle cry and charges madly, and this time, she knocks off the crown. All of the Ice King's confidence goes up in smoke as he tries to retrieve it under Bonnibel's barrage.

I begin to lose feeling in my legs. My arms are pinned by this stupid lump of ice on my body. The most I can do is watch the Ice King get his crown and retreat from the mad princess. He shouts "I'll be back" repeatedly as he exits in haste.

"Huff, huff..." Bonnibel sits down suddenly, exhausted, "That... Stupid butt..."

"Princess!" Shouko hurries over to the monarch. I'm forgotten on the ceiling.

"Um... Guys?"

…

After I thawed out with help from Bonnibel's retractable heating stick, I had to find out: What was Ice King after?

"He just started bothering me recently," Bonnibel says, "I thought it was harmless at first, but them he actually tried to kidnap me!"

"Why would he do that?"

"I... I don't know. Maybe it's just because I'm a princess? The whole time he was going on and on about how he love princesses..."

I had yelled out to Simon again. The moment I saw that face, I knew I couldn't hit him with my ax. I had to call out his name again, because I saw Simon's face. Even when I knew Simon was gone and he'd never come back, I still called for him. Bonnibel asked me who this 'Simon' was, but I just excused myself.

"Are you okay, Marceline?"

"Yeah..." Her face showed she didn't believe me, "Really."

"You haven't been feeding right? Maybe you should rest up. You look really frazzled..."

"No... I just ... need some fresh air..." I fly away before she can glimpse my eyes shining with tears.

Ash had disappeared from the riverbank. I'll see him some other time. I flew up to a hill overlooking a field that would be filled by the light of dawn in an hour or two. I just sat there. Right now, I needed to clear up after that encounter with the Ice King again.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and envision Simon sitting next to me here. What would he say now? About the person he's become...

"Oh, excuse me."

That sniveling, sickly yet familiar voice... I open my eyes to see that despicable Ice King casually setting up a picnic for himself just a little from where I sit. He has a penguin following him.

"Aw well, we seem to run into each other a lot, eh?" He smiles an awkward, toothy smile, "This is nice, right?"

I jump to my feet, hissing, "What are you doing here?"

"Me? I'm just havin' a picnic. Tomorrow's the groundbreaking ceremony for my new Ice Kingdom, y'know?"

"...Kingdom?"

"Yep. Every monarch's got one. Heck, even Bubblegum. Mine's gonna knock the socks off all of 'em. I'll be building it right about over there..."

He points at a portion of the ruined city. I can already see ice covering that area.

"And once that's finished, I'll be reelin' the chicks in like a magnet. Hehehe!"

"... What's that you got?" I found myself talking to him.

"What? This? Oh, this is Gunther, my penguin. Found him on an ice floe."

He conks the penguin playfully on the head. The penguin goes "wenk" and waddles towards me. He grabs my leg and begins to rub his face on it. It felt weird, so I pushed it away. But it only latched on again.

"Heh, seems Gunther's taken a liking to you!" Ice King's eyebrows go up and down, "Well, Gunther? You wanna start a family? Huh?"

"Wenk."

"Uh... no," I pick up the penguin and hold it at arms length, "I've... got someone else."

"Wenk," Gunther looks downcast, "Wenk..."

"Aw, cheer up Gunther! Never give up. You don't get charm like mine with the princesses by throwin' in the towel, now do ya?"

"Whatever," I throw the penguin to him, it gets tangled in his beard, "What's with you and princesses anyway?"

"Well, who wouldn't wanna be surrounded by them? I mean, they're _princesses_!"

With that, he laughs maniacally. The contempt I felt for him grew as he laughed. I couldn't control myself. Before I could explode on him, I heard Shouko call for me. I look back towards the castle and see her a little far away. She's carrying an umbrella.

"Whoop, four's a crowd," Ice King hurriedly begins to pack, "Maybe another time. When I've got Bubblegum, you and Gunther ca come with us on a double date!"

I hiss as he flies away. The I feel the dawn rays burn the left side of my face. I wince, but it stops quickly once Shouko reached me with the umbrella.

"What... were you doing... way out here?" she pants, breathless, "And with the Ice King?"

"..." I take the umbrella gratefully, "It's a long story."

"Oh."

The two of us sit with our backs against the rising sun. The umbrella made it a little hot, but it kept the sun out.

"My mom..." Shouko turns at my voice, "I used to do this with her..."

"Really..." Shouko rubs her nub arm absentmindedly, "My mom never did anything with me. Or my dad."

I look back, a little surprised, "Really?"

I was reminded of all those times I'd asked my mom where dad was. She'd never tell me exactly, probably because she didn't even know. I only had both parents together once, at a family reunion. It ended horribly because mom's house caught on fire. After that, I either stayed here with mom, or went to the Nightosphere with dad.

"What happened?"

"Well... They never really wanted me, see?" Shouko looks down, "All they wanted was this new PC. So they sold my arm for it."

"What?!" I can't believe it; someone who's parents took even lousier care than my dad, "You're kidding right?"

She just continues and doesn't answer, "Then, they said I needed to get tougher. So they sent me to a fighting dojo. It was … educational. Thing is, after the first class was over... They never came to pick me up."

"...So you're all alone now?" I couldn't take my eyes off her. Right now, she just seemed so vulnerable and … lost. Like me after my mom … never woke up.

"Of course, I have tiger. And the Princess. And now you and the band," She lightens up a bit, "So it's not all bad."

"Yeah," I ruffle her hair, "Who needs parents anyway?"

We both laugh.

"But seriously, Marceline..." Shouko stops laughing, "To me, you're _lucky_. You still have your parents... and they love you. You should go make up with them."

"They're dead," I say it curtly, tartly, "Well, at least, my dad's dead to me."

"... You don't love him?"

"Well," It's complicated. I loved him. And I thought he did too. But he just … left me. He threw me in front of the Vampire King without a second thought.

"And my mom... she just … never woke up."

It's surprisingly hard to say. I'd never really accepted that my mom died that day. That she'd never wake up again. I just remember her … She looked like she was sleeping in dad's arms.

Shouko looks deep in thought. We sit in silence for a little longer. Then she begins to tell me what happened after the whole abandonment episode.

"I met tiger as I was walking through the streets... after the dojo closed for the day. Tiger's asleep right now, but I wish you can see each other."

Turns out she's from after the bomb dropped and the sky went green. It must've been while I was stuck in the underworld. She initially worked for the Bath Boy gang who were those weirdos in bathrobes that I whooped the other day. Bubblegum took her under her wing and she's been working with her ever since.

"It's only been a week, but I really feel like I belong here..."

I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was off about her story. Still, I understand how she feels. For the rest of the day, we just lay under shade talking about ourselves and looking up at the sky which was now blue.

...

When we got back to the castle, it was too late to put on any show. The citizens were in need of rest, said Bonnibel.

I didn't mind too much. Heck, we could put on concerts everyday! The shirts came out pretty good and we all got copies. I hand one to Bonnibel. She looks at it oddly.

"What?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing..."

I remember how she looked so sad the other night, "No, really, what's wrong?"

"... Do you think we'll be able to play together … forever?"

I'm taken aback by her question. Her eyes were glued to the shirt, so I couldn't really read her expression.

"Do you … not want the shirt?"

"No, no... it's alright..."

She retires for the day. Shouko and I exchange puzzled glances. Wendy and the other ghosts look pretty proud of their handiwork. They take the shirts with them but don't put them on.

"G'night, Marceline."

"Good night, Shouko..." I wave a little sadly.

I didn't have anywhere to go. But I did feel a bit tired since I didn't sleep during the day. I fly by a junked car and I recognize the demon I saw in the underworld. I fly up to him from behind and tap his head lightly.

"Yo! Hey."

"Wha-!" He jumps, "Good greebles, child! What are you doing here?!"

"Me? What about you?"

"If you must know, I've been sent to serve the reigning monarch Bonnibel Bubblegum of the Candy Kingdom. Lord Death decreed it himself."

"So... you're being given away as a present?"

He turns very red.

"Okay, okay," I ease off a bit, "But it's weird. You won't fit in. A demon among candies..."

"There is a vessel prepared for me, so I hear. One of peppermint..." He shakes his head, "No, no, no! Why am I telling the Vampire Queen this classified info? I must get to the castle immediately!"

"What? Vampire Queen?"

Before I can ask, he ambles away toward the castle. I can either give chase or nap. Well, he'll probably be at the castle tomorrow, so no rush there. I continue to look for someplace to sleep.

A bit from the castle and tree clearing is where I find some cave. It's not ideal, and it's covered in bat dookie, but I just fold my arms over my chest and float asleep, my ax bass propped up safely on a stalagmite.

…

"_Marceline Abadeer... Abadeer..."_

I keep hearing this voice. It slithers into my dream, staining and devouring it.

"_Wake up... Miss Abadeer..."_

"Wah!"

I jump up and fall onto the floor, having lost my concentration. As I rub my head, I look and I see Ice King's penguin, Gunther just standing there.

"Ugh... Not you again..." I moan as he hugs my leg, "Come on, get off, I'm not interested..."

_"But we are perfect for each other."_

Huh? What was that? I look at Gunther, but he just gives me that stupid blank look and says "wenk".

"Who's there?!" I grab my ax, "You think this is funny?!"

_"My dear Marceline... It's not time yet. But when I do arise to take over this planet, you shall be given the honor of being my queen..."_

"Show yourself!"

_"Not yet, my dear. You will be my Queen of Darkness. Next to the Lord of Evil, the great ORGALORG!"_

The voice stops. I'm sweaty from the climax, but it was ultimately nothing. Just this stupid penguin. His stare makes me almost nervous though. I take my stuff and fly out of the cave. I'll just crash at Bonnibel's tonight.

I look over my shoulder cautiously. He continues to stare at me until I'm out of sight.

What is with that penguin?

I reach the toxic green river. I'm about to announce my arrival but I see Bonnibel crouched next to a white tiger on the opposite bank a little away from me.

She's crying.


	30. Chapter 30: Disband Part I

Something was seriously wrong. I flew to her side so fast, my ax almost slipped off my back.

"Princess!"

She looks up. The tears fall and shimmer. I stop abruptly at the sight of her crying. It's so … unnatural. I approach more slowly and place an uncertain hand on her shaking shoulder. The gum doesn't stick.

"...What happened?"

She shakes her head drearily, "Shouko... she..."

"ZZT – NIGHTOSPHERE PRESENCE DETECTED. ENGAGING PROTOCOL 21"

Mechanic voices and lumbering giant footsteps alert me to two giant glass heads balanced on sleek, thin steel bodies. They look like … gumball machines, the ones I saw at the decrepit mall. There are two and they're as tall as the tallest castle tower. One of them tightens his hand into a fist and is about to make contact with us.

"No!" Bonnibel cries out and they stop, "She's... a royal guest. Got back to your posts!"

The two look confused at each other before leaving. I'm stuck staring at Bonnibel as she wipes her tears.

"Shouko fell. In there."

She points at the murky green waters.

"WHAT?!" I'm just about crouched and ready to jump in, "What're you waiting for?! We have to save-"

"NO!"

She pulls me back forcefully. Her grip on my wrist is strong. I protest.

"What... Let go! She's our friend! We can't just-"

"She was just lying!"

…

What? What did she just say?

"Bonnie... what..."

"She was just after my pendant … She was just a little, lying thief all along..." Her voice is brittle.

"What... No... How..." I find it hard to grasp my speech. Shouko... lied?

"The Gumball Guardians..." Bonnibel looks up to the massive behemoths with watery eyes, "I made them to be a force to be reckoned with … Shouko knew... and she wanted my pendant, the only way to control them. When she tried to steal them tonight … She fell in …"

There is a long silence.

I can't believe it. Shouko would never …

"You're joking."

"What? Marceline, it' true-"

"How could you say that about her?! She was just …" I gnash my teeth in an effort to articulate, "Don't you trust her?! Why would she want whatever these things do? She just..."

I remember. We were sitting at dawn and she talked about her dreams.

_"I just... hope that the peace will be forever. The band, you , me, the Princess... We'll be friends forever."_

"Marceline! Wake up and face reality!" She grabs my shoulders, "She lied! To you and me!"

"No... NO!" I can't believe it, "You're lying … she just wanted to be happy... that we'd be friends forever..."

"GROW UP!"

Her words are quick and painful like a slap, "She LIED! I didn't want to believe it either, but I should've known... She was with me for this long … and..."

"We have to get her out-" I start.

"No. She's a traitor to my kingdom. Treason warrants punishment. And that is all."

Her voice was suddenly hard and, well, mature. I didn't like it.

"Come on! Whether she lied or not, it doesn't mean we should just leave her!" I'm about to jump in when one of those gumball machines block my dive with his hand.

"Hey!"

"Just leave it, Marceline. You have to learn... there are consequences for bad choices. Shouko made her decision," Bonnibel, wiping her eyes, begins to go back inside and whispers something I couldn't hear.

"What? She … Shouko was our friend..."

"Go home, Marceline."

The giant deposits me on the bank and lumbers away. I watch Bonnibel disappear into her fortress and I feel something bubble inside me. I couldn't just let Shouko die … But I'd just die too if I tried.

I touch the river with one finger. My flesh burns immediately like I'd just gotten sunned. I pull my arm back with a small yelp. The finger's flesh is saggy and melting. Bits of it drip off like ice cream. After it cools, it goes back to normal. But I'm still mad at Bonnibel.

Didn't she care about Shouko? About our friendship...?

With that heavy feeling, I turn to leave. But before I get out of kingdom grounds, I remember the umbrella Shouko had given me. After I retrieve, I fly over the river and land in the branches of a nearby tree opposite to the kingdom. I take off my bass and strum with Hambo on my chest.

"Why can't we … just be friends? Why can't we ..." I look at the half finished tower with it's cakey walls in the moonlight as I ad-lib, "No, wait, I … I don't know but, I don't have friends..."

The white tiger is still sitting at the river. But I can feel it glance every once in a while. It's gotta be Shouko's. I remember she wanted us to meet...

Sighing, I sling my bass on another branch as I lay back. I hug Hambo closely to me. As I close my eyes, I can almost feel a tear. Then it dries up.

"It's chilly, Hambo..."

…

_There is ice everywhere. I look about frantically, a ghost in a living, dying world._

_ What am I looking for?_

_ "Simon?"_

_ Who's that? What's that word?_

_ "Simon, help me..."_

_ A little girl with pale skin and black hair wobbles over to me slowly. She clutches a red teddy. Her eyes are tearful. I stare back with indifferent eyes. Who are you?_

_ "Simon... help … me..."_

_ I don't know why, but I stretch out my arms to catch her as she collapses. Her bear is covering a wound on her torso. The area is staining an otherworldly dark color. It spreads quickly and she whimpers in my arms. Her tears are spilling out now as she continually repeats in a low susurration "It hurts..."_

_ Instinctively, involuntarily, I clasp her close to me. I utter inaudible words to comfort her. I don't know why. The sticky blackness spreads onto my being, and she breathes her last. I'm left holding a corpse consumed by the darkness that begins to latch onto me..._

"AGGGHHHH!"

The Ice King flies ten feet out of bed and crashes into the ceiling. As he regains his awareness, he slowly wafts downward.

"Crazy dream..."

...

"YAAAARGH!"

I shoot up and hit my head on a branch. What was that?!

I turn to the river, where there is now a sloshing sound.

A green trail of sludge stains the grass. The grass dies slowly at the liquids touch. The tiger is following the trail. I can just make out some huge white mass of something serpentine with green hair in the trail head. It's moving smoothly and making good pace towards the clearing where I'd planted the tree.

"Shouko...?" I fly after the thing. Impossible. How could that be Shouko? I'm just being too optimistic.

Dawn approaches. I stop at the fringe of trees encircling the clearing. Whatever that thing is … it's slumped on the young sapling and doesn't move. The tiger comes up to it and lets out a sad yowl. It lays down next to it and just stays there.

The dawn light is too intense to see. I open Shouko's umbrella and carefully tread my way to the thing. Up close I see it looks like a huge white-bluish slug with neon green hair and arms. The tree strains under it's weight. Its eyes are open and its tongue is hanging out.

"...Shouko?"

I say it in a small whisper, afraid it may answer back. Instead, it just breathes a little and falls completely still. The tiger nuzzles the thing affectionately. That made it click in my head. The tiger knew it was Shouko.

"Shouko! Shouko! Hey!"

I balance the umbrella precariously on my shoulder as I make an effort to move her mutated body. Her skin is coated with the river sludge and burns my hands. Even the tiger's fur is beginning to slough off. It pays no attention though, and continues to gaze at Shouko attentively.

"Shouko..."

She's not moving. Her eyes are glassy and fixated on something far way from here. I remember these eyes... Simon had them the last time I talked to him.

Shouko … was gone.

I kneel there, unable to move.

I still don't know what happened and why this had to happen... Why...

"'Sup?"

There is a whoosh behind me and a familiar bony skeleton dressed as a sheriff appears.

"Death..." My voice is quiet.

"We meet again, Miss Abadeer," He tips his hat, "Or should I say, Vampire Queen."

"Why … Why did you call me that..." I ask a bit numbly.

"You were bitten by the king. And he's dead now; crumbled away," He looks at me sideways, "That leaves you a sort of heir to the Red Throne, don't it?"

Throne... The Vampire Kings lair of rotting and savagery …

I sit there, unmoving, as Death reaches into Shouko and pulls out a glowing sphere. It emanates a faint, pulsating light. Its glow is familiar.

"A soul... Heh, betcha you haven't tasted these yet right?"

He pockets the soul – takes Shouko away. With a kick of his spurs, he's out of sight. I'm left alone with Shouko's body and the tiger that merely stared.

"... Shouko … I don't know what the Princess and you have been through. But we … were friends..." I choke up, "_Right?_"

I kind of just screamed out right there. I couldn't cry, so I wailed. There seemed to be no one around who really cared. The tiger tensed but soon joined me with a repertoire of sad yowls.

We did that until our throats were sore. I pick up the umbrella, ready to leave. The tiger curls up next to Shouko and closes it's eyes. I smile.

"Watch over her, tiger."

...

Following the green sludge trail back, I came to the part of the river she must've come up from. The green trail is beginning to be absorbed into the soil.

At a big puddle that gathered near the bank, I see a weird twisted piece of metal. It looks like those grabber claws I saw before in toy machines. Someone might've lost it.


	31. Chapter 31: Disband Part II

When I went back to the tree... it had grown so big. The tiger and Shouko were nowhere to be seen. Maybe the tiger carried off her body... or maybe the mutating green stuff made the tree so big … or maybe Shouko became one with the tree...

I place the iron claw thing among the branches. Surely it'll be covered by the time the tree fully grows. Hey... when it's grown big enough, I'll build a tree house on it! Yeah, that sounds swell... I remember seeing them from before the war. They were great because, well, it's a house in a tree!

The sun was shining high when I took out my parasol for a walk. Just me, Hambo and my bass.

"Huh?"

A streaking star runs across the sky. It's so bright it stands out even in broad daylight. Curious and bored, I fly after it.

I'm bored. Ever since that night I haven't even spoken to Bonnibel. Or the ghosts. The band is … put on hold. Yeah, that's all. Ash hadn't been keeping in touch. Maybe the Wizards finally got him for his loose lips.

I chase it all the way to a field of golden wheat. The star lands gracefully, without bending a stalk of wheat in the golden field. When I'm close enough, the sheer heat and light felt like the sun itself. The light subsides and I can see it's some weird red crystal, robe thing.

Before I approach too closely, it suddenly sorta unfolds itself. It's got arms and the top crystal detaches to make for a four sided gem where circular facets are set in. The faces share the same head, but they begin to speak at different times and different voices.

"Glob, are you sure you felt even a hint of Orgalorg's energy here?"

"Grod, will you stop bickering, I'm picking up it's scent..."

"It's changed a lot since we last came here, Gob."

"Too right, Grob. The inhabitants are really mixing things up here."

"Shh! There is someone close by."

I assume they mean me. Well, that's enough hiding, not like that was my intention to begin with. I step out into the open.

"State your position."

"Whoa, what? The name's Marceline. What's _your_ position?"

"Hmm. She does not appear hostile," One of the faces say, "Greetings, inhabitant of Ooo. We are Glob Gob Grod Grob of the Red planet."

"Wait. You're from another planet?"

"Yes. I believe you call them aliens"

I couldn't believe it. Simon had always depicted them to be little green men with these creepy black eyes. This guy was red and tall and spoke in a language I can understand.

"You … are Marceline Abadeer, daughter of Hunson?"

"Huh?" I was caught off guard by the mention of my dad, "Y-yeah... you know him?"

"Hm. That would explain the traces of Nightosphere riddled all over you. However, my sensors pick up … human."

That face's gaze seemed intrusive. Could he, like, see through me or something? I try not to squirm under his scrutiny.

"...What are a couple of aliens doing here?"

"We seek this entity."

The current face projects a beam from his eyes that widen into a hologram of some freakish tentacled thing with many eyes.

"This is Orgalorg. The evil entity we seek."

"Why would he be here?"

"We banished him here years ago, certain he fell to his death. But just today, we felt a resurgence of his energy trace. And so we came to investigate if he had indeed survived."

"I owe you five dollars, Grod."

"Later, Gob."

"Uh-huh..." It's weird seeing these faces on the same head talking to each other, "Well, I've never seen him. And I've been here a while."

"Hm?" The face with the sensor leans in, "You are undead?"

"...Yes...?"

"Well, however did you do it?" He exclaims, "Only Lincoln as we know has ever escaped Death. And he bargained a penny for it!"

A penny? Death sure must've raised his standards of someone escaped with _that_ before. It was like going through a slaughterhouse for me. And I'm still feeling the effects of it. Anyway, I tell them the whole story of how I became a vampire and left the Underworld. They were pretty impressed and immersed. We must've sat in that field for two hours.

"Intriguing..."

"Have you heard from Hunson?"

"My dad... no, he just left me."

"Typical of him. From the moment I saw him I didn't like him."

"Glob, you're too judgmental."

"Would you rather have Hunson as a father, or the brother we're stuck with?"

"Magic Man is not that bad..."

"Maybe he's right, Grod. Is it possible the man has something planned for this world? Being the Lord of Darkness it's not unfeasible he'd find some diabolical way to utilize his daughter in the future."

"In that case, It's most efficient we nip the problem at the bud."

A glowing white sword emanating blue energy appears in his hand. He approaches, brandishing his weapon. I think of unslinging my ax, but it doesn't look strong enough to hold against his sword.

"No, no, no," His other hand slaps the sword hand and the sword vanishes, "Innocent until proven guilty. What would Lincoln say?"

"Urrghhh... Playing the Lincoln card like that..."

"Child, you'd best not simply approach strangers like this again. We are not … entirely hostile, but if someone like Orgalorg were-"

"Hey, I'm not a kid," I float in circles around him, "I can take care of myself."

"Hm. Seeing as you have survived the previous Apocalypse, I guess you indeed have had luck," He squints suddenly and looks far away, "What is that?"

I look too. It's the cream tower top of Bonnibel's castle.

"Oh, it's the Candy Kingdom... Or something."

"Who could have built such a structure? It seems the inhabitants are even craftier than we dreamed, brothers."

"Look," I don't know why, but I was getting impatient with this red guy, "This Ora-whatever, isn't here. You can go and gawk at something else."

"... She speaks true. Seems like we were mistaken."

He begins to glow. His faces are looking in their own direction. One is focused on the Candy Kingdom. Another is looking straight at me.

"Be brave, child."

That surprised me. Before I could respond, he disappears in a flash. Only a small breeze blows through the field as a remainder, then it's quiet again. I hold Hambo tightly as I make my way back to the shady grove.

"I have to be brave..."

…

"Hey guys."

"Marceline!"

The ghosts gather around me enthusiastically.

"We thought you ran off with Ash or something and canceled the band!"

"In your dreams."

"Well you do like him, don't you?" Wendy nudges me knowingly, "Well?"

"We're from different worlds. He's bound by rules and-"

"Hey, you still got your base! Let's get that princess and her shrimp and perform already!"

"Shouko's dead."

The words fall out of my mouth like an anvil. Everything goes to silence immediately. The setting sun casts pallid rays and a wind blows like a declaration. I just couldn't keep myself from telling them.

"Oh... Well, we're sorry, Marceline," Georgy and Booboo quickly nod, "But you let yourself get to attached to that pet anyway."

"She wasn't a pet...!" I feel my eyes heat up. My vision flares red for a moment, then the tinge fades.

"She was flesh. Nuff' said. Come on guys."

Wendy floats away and disappears. Probably back to the Underworld. Georgy and Booboo follow. Georgy looks back for a second before vanishing. Some friends. Like before, they left me. Guess they don't like the fact that I've got flesh friends. Or bubblegum.

But things'll blow over. They always seem to.

"Oh, Hambo..." I clasp him close.

"Marceline?"

I turn and see Ash walking towards me with the Ice King.

"Ash...? And-"

"This is the cool new guy of Wizard City. Calls himself Ice King."

"Uh, we've met before, Ash. Right, toots?"

"Ash, why..." I bite back a little, "Do you even know who he is?"

"Uh, yeah. He's called the Ice King," He looks at the Ice King, "You sure she knows you?"

"Oh, I'm sure she's just being shy."

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

My words stun the two. I fly away as fast as I can. Toward the Candy Kingdom. I don't know why. Maybe I was just crazy, but I really needed to talk to Bubblegum.

…

Wow, there sure are a lot more Candy citizens now, as Bubblegum would've put it. There's so many different colors present. Landing, I'm suddenly alerted of how ravenous I was. I'm tempted to just take a suck of that red strawberry...

"Um, 'scuse me..."

"And who might you be?"

"Chocoberry, that was rude," Says a cookie thing, "Sorry. Welcome, stranger, to the beautiful Candy Kingdom, where our illustrious Princess Bubblegum reigns!"

"Uh-"

"Now don't tell me you haven't heard of our dear princess."

"No, I-"

More of these candies start crowding around.

"She's perfect."

"She's smart!"

"Um, back up people-"

"I want a piece of her hair!" A crazed looking gumdrop shrieks.

"Whoa! Shh! Dude! If you're caught screaming stuff like that, you'll get thrown in the dungeons!"

"I heard old Gummy bear was thrown in last week for saying the Princess had bad breath..."

"Well she does need a dentist..."

The mob was such a rabble. I excuse myself and fly upwards, away from them. What was up with these new candies? They all seem to love Bubblegum so much. And a dungeon? Bubblegum was throwing people in dungeons? This place has developed in the weirdest way. The candies begin to look up, pointing and gaping at my flight ability. I decide to leave, flying for the palace.

"Bonnibel!"

I fly in to her now-finished room. But it's empty.

"Hello?"

There is a clatter by the door. A little peppermint in a suit enters with a tray of tea. He has blank white eyes.

"Oh, Marceline."

"Who-"

"Oh, of course. This is my new vessel. Remember?"

The little demon. I massage my temple with a finger, "Of course... You're a servant here..."

"Yes. If you're looking for the princess, you can try her secret lab. I believe you aren't plain riffraff."

He begins setting out the tea on a nightstand. I fly past him and down the stairs. This place looks pretty nice for a pastry. Anyway, if you have a secret, you bury it in the lowest levels. And that's how I came to a big locked door.

"Bubblegum? Hello? We need to talk," I peer through a little window on the door, "About Sho-"

My voice freezes once I see what resides within. It's a dark red room. There are these … things floating around in these cubes with wires that run everywhere. They look kinda like candy... Like Candy people...

"Marceline!"

"Ahh!"

I turn, surprised for the second time in a day. Bonnibel is facing me, out of breath.

"Peps told me... You were here, so I..."

"Bonnibel … What..."

She looks at my face with desperation. She knows I've looked at whatever that is inside. And I wasn't supposed to. She jams herself in between me and the door.

"Marceline, I think you should leave."

"Is that … Have you been making these people?!"

"Well... yes."

Now it makes sense. All those sycophantic citizens and their reverence.

"You just planted those ideas in their heads."

"Marceline, I'm their mother, but I'm also their ruler. I'm responsible for them and they're much easier to monitor-"

"What, like animals? You made them so they'd only think you're perfect!"

"Why are you so flubbed up about this?" She begins to get defensive, "It's none of your business."

"I … I don't like people messing with others minds," I think about the crown and what happened to Simon, "You can't do that."

"Marceline..."

"Is that why you threw Shouko away? Because she didn't turn out to be one of those little candies out there that can't stop flattering you?"

"She was a traitor!"

"So was that bear that said your breath smelled right?!" I lash out even more vehemently than I had with my dad, "Can you not stand that somethings are beyond your control?!"

"It's not like that!"

"Is that why you quit the band?! Because you didn't want to play with us?"

"They're ghosts, Marceline! They'd freak the heck out of my citizens!" She has this look like she really wants me to understand something, "I have more people to care about! I can't just be a little kid like you, who's even brattier than my candy children!"

That same voice from when she just let Shouko sink. That hard, mature voice. I was fine with Simon using it. But she-

"Oh, so you're saying I'm not perfect like how you make them?!"

"GET OUT!"

Her words sting and lash once they leave her lips. I can feel visible wounds from the whip if I think really hard. Biting my lower lip, I furiously cut a hole in the wall and fly out.

Let her fix her own globbing problems! As I fly faster and faster, I can barely feel something wet on my cheeks leaking of my eyes.

I furiously wipe it away and throw myself onto a wide grassy plain, feeling the blades cushion me as I slide a little further. After I come to a rest, all my energy returns and in a fury, I begin tearing up the blades of grass. I even punch the ground. In the end, I just lie there, tired and with aching knuckles. I don't know why. I guess I expected I'd feel better.

_Sometimes, people have to just let something out. _

I crack a small grin. Simon had said that when I heard him fart really loudly once.

Smiling, tears streaking out of the corners of my eyes and looking up towards the night... I hold Hambo so he can see the sky too.

"You're my only friend, Hambo..."

_Oh wait, I don't have friends..._


	32. Special Chapter: Bubblegum

When I was young but old enough to understand the words of my wise Uncle Gumbald, he took me to the Taffy Forest.

"We are special Candies. Of the Five Elements of Ooo, Candy is the wisest. And we, gum, are even wiser."

"Why is that, uncle?"

"We are the oldest … Ever since the Mushroom War," He looks at her intently, "And we have been blessed with the knowledge so vast and perfect that no one – no one – can possibly know."

"Blessed by the Gum Hive?"

"Yes. The mother of us. And we must do right by her."

"As King?"

"And you, Bonnibel, as Princess."

"I understand, Uncle."

"Good," He pats her head affectionately, "Remember that for as long as you reign."

_For as long as I will reign..._

Of course, those times are long over. The times when I had my uncle to lead me about, a blind child. His words and teachings of a leader still resonate within me, as does the vast knowledge I have accumulated through my existence.

Responsibility and Power. The two must accompany one another or anarchy will break loose. The responsibility to the constituency, to the monarchy, to my role as a Princess of Ooo. It's something I know my brother would never have been able to shoulder. That's probably why I was chosen. Not Neddy. Poor sweet Neddy. That sharp rock must've zonked him good.

Through my years leading the kingdom I inherited from my uncle, I found the citizens of old rather … tedious. Not to mention ungrateful. They compare me unfavorably to my uncle, whose rule they had experienced prior to mine. They were few, but inexplicably hard to manage. I made banana guards not only to protect my expanding kingdom territory, but also to quell a possible rebellion. They were hard to win over.

I'd read that discomfort and an unfavorable leader often lead inevitably to a shift in power and, most likely, an overthrow. I had to insulate my rule. There was no way these citizens could survive without me guiding them. They just didn't know it, as they aren't the brightest things. But of course, being my citizens, they deserve my attention and care before all else.

My uncle showed me a lab he'd kept. One to make citizens, he said.

"Our people are thinning. They grow old and expire. We live out and watch them die. But!" He'd always favored a dramatic flair, "We can make them! Better, smarter, more perfect! A haven for Candy, and our family ruling to boot... It'll be wonderful..."

He never finished the project before he died. Many of his earlier experiments ended up failures because he added too many ingredients. He wanted a balanced, nuanced citizen. I knew that was too much to expect.

Our people are candy. There is nothing to change that. They can only be sweet and innocent. While I may not be able to change that, I can, however, make them more docile and ignorant. That would make their tendency of aggression tempered, and the chance of a real revolt minuscule.

I still remember that girl I met back in the Underworld Zen viewing with my uncle. She said she was Marceline... I hope she's doing okay. She looked lost.

…

Shouko … I took her under my wing because I felt she had potential. Of course, I still keep her within my sight. When I look at her though, playing with that tiger or bantering with candy people … I can't help but want to join in. A leader distances oneself from the subjects, as a responsibility. But I wonder if I miss anything.

Marceline is apparently a vampire now. She left a hole in the candy wall we were reconstructing. After she shaped back up, she seems to get along pretty well with Shouko. It's odd though. She's about my age. Why is she acting so childish?

I see her running about with ghosts and flirting with that unscrupulous con magician. Shouldn't she be worrying over her future instead of spending it on transient relationships?

Well, I have more on my plate than I can handle already, worrying for a whole population. My prototype Gumball guardians are almost complete. It won't be long until the candy citizens also come along.

Death said he was sending a late gift to commemorate my coronation.

…

I've done it! My first perfect candy citizen! I'm... I'm a mother! And soon, all these other children, oh, I'll mother them all!

Isn't it wonderful? I get to teach them all about this wonderful world and kingdom they've been born into...

The little toy band Marceline and Shouko wanted to organize today was postponed again. I wonder if I said something I shouldn't have to Marceline? Something just slipped out at the moment.

… I have a lot of tiring projects left. I don't have time for frivolities.

…

Shouko … was duly executed for attempted treason.

Marceline just doesn't get it. The difference between enemy and friend is thin. I can see it,she can't. She's like a little whining kid. I can't tell her what I think because she doesn't understand it.

I can't rely on anyone to understand the responsibility I bear. The Candy people look at me in reverence, but I feel like their minds don't hold onto my principled words. Marceline just seems to flat out reject them.

When did I ever show such rebellion? Such foolishness is just … folly.

I hope you see that, Marceline.

…

The Ice Kingdom is expanding. I'll have to draw a border with the monarch before long. The Fire Kingdom seems to be in a stable state. But recently, I've had reports of fires burning across nearby forests. I will have to investigate sooner or later.

Peppermint butler is getting well adjusted to his vessel. He's no longer so lanky as when Shouko met him. I can only wonder what he does in his free time, though.

…

...Marceline … why are you looking at me like that...?

…

"Mistress?" Peppermint butler enters my room, "You have to give your speech today."

"Hm?" I look up from my pillow, "Oh, okay... Just gimme a sec..."

I pull a sweater over the band shirt.

"Alright, Bubblegum. You can do this."

I wonder sometimes why I keep that shirt.


	33. Chapter 32: I'm Sorry

I'd always been thinking about that day. The green in the sky and my mother. And how something good came of that.

Simon.

You changed though. I tried to keep you from changing. But you did. I know you wanted to protect me by sticking me with my dad. But it would have been fine if I'd stayed with you. That's what you promised.

You liar.

I hate you now. I hate what you've become. I hate this stupid world for how it's changed, what it's done to you and me... I'm not really me anymore myself. I hate this... I want to go home...

…

I splash cold water onto my face. Bonnibel's pleading face stuck in my head and I keep hearing her telling me to grow up. I can't trust her. Leaning back, I let out a long wispy sigh. A crunching of dead leaves turns my attention. It's Ash. He has this apologetic look on his face. I turn away and pull myself up a little tighter, still wet.

"Hey, um..." He summons a towel, "I got you something."

I take the levitating towel and dry myself a little, leaving it to flop over my hair. My eyes are fixated on the water. He comes next to my non-existent reflection and sits down.

"So, uh... I'm sorry," He places a hand on my shoulder, "I-I don't know what you and that guy have with each other, but I won't hang with him if it makes you unhappy."

His touch is lukewarm as always. But those words were so warm and genuine. I hug him swiftly, and he hugs me back.

"You're … not crying are you?"

"No..."

"You're not mad either?"

"No," I pull away so I can stare into his eyes, "I'm sorry, Ash. It's just... The Ice King..."

"Did you, like..." His eyes run to the upper right, trying to avoid an awkward moment, "Like, like him?"

"Yeah..." I slump back down, "He was like a dad to me..."

"Ohh, so not _that_ like... What happened?"

"He … Ash," I turn to him, "Remember when you said wizards draw their power from, like, feelies and junk?"

"Yeah?"

"Does... Does that make you bonkers?"

"What, no! Well," He rubs his chin, "There is this one guy... I've met him once but he's really powerful and they call him Master Magic Man, Magic Man for short. I wanna be like him He lives somewhere in the woods, but he's crazy smart and all... He said that all magic comes with like, this thing called MMS."

"MMS?"

"Magic, Madness and Sadness. No idea though. I mean, I'm fine, right?"

"Yeah..." Madness and sadness... Simon had bouts off both when he lost his mind. Sometimes he'd cackle maniacally or break down sobbing.

"What's that got to do with Ice King?"

"Never mind him. You feel like doing something?"

"Sure."

"Hold on!" I pick him up by the arms and we take off. The dawn light was slow and we flew all the way to the other end of the forest by then.

We fall on a pile of leaves, laughing without a care in the world. I really needed this.

"Whew, well, I gotta get going."

"Where to? I'll fly you."

"Naw, I'm gonna go see Magic Man," He summons a flying carpet, "See if he'll teach me anything. You don't need to get involved."

"Alright, seeya."

He flies off. I flop back into the leaves and take a big whiff of the air. That was fun...

Fun... Bubblegum acts like that's a bad thing. Like she's never had any. Geez, such a stick in the mud! I fly upward and make for the Candy Kingdom. I feel like messing with the princess just a bit...

…

She's looking deep into her work. I'm sure she sees me float in through her window. Of course, she just ignores me.

"The kingdom's sure gotten big, huh?" I can't help but smirk when I say that, "A whole lot of new candies..."

She doesn't react despite what happened then when I discovered her lab a while ago. I'd avoided seeing her for, oh, about a week or so. I wouldn't know, I don't keep time. And I don't age or anything so it's no big deal. In that time, I'd kept away from, actually, everyone.

"Look, Bonnibel," I scratch my at my head impatiently, "I,ugh, things … they just got bad between us real fast... I don't like it."

Still no response. Too encompassed by her doohickies... I'm getting irritated.

"By the way, I saw a forest fire spreading fast to your southern wall..."

That gets her attention. Without even looking at me, she dashes out of the room. I guess she took me for real... Or just wanted to check. Whatever. Now that she's out, let's see what else she hides in this big place...

She must've blocked up the old way I flew down because I couldn't find that candy making chamber again. Instead, there's a whole lot of new metallic rooms and stuff with all sorts of new equipment and junk. Through a small window, I can see a medium sized pink dragon floating in a puddle of … something wet, and snoring. It looked cute, but I couldn't get in.

Finally, I stumble upon some lab of hers. Her glasses and coat are lying around, along with notes and a calender. For tomorrow, she's marked "Meeting with honey" at sunrise.

"Honey"? That means like a boyfriend or something right? Who got stuck with her? Now my interest is piqued. I've gotta find out who she's dating...

"Hey!"

I turn and see the Peppermint Butler at the door, "Oh, hey."

"What are you doing in here?! I thought you weren't coming back!"

"Oh, please. I can go wherever I want..."

"I spoke to your father at our golf match the other day. He's been looking for you!"

"Pfft. So what?"

"Hrmmph," He goes to pick up after the Princess, "You've got no off-switch don't you?"

"Nope. I'm undead. Hel~lo!"

He leaves in a huff. Well, I guess I better hightail before Bonnie finds me snooping again and calls me a kid. Plus, I gotta find out about this "honey"...

…

Exactly at sunrise, I see a royal carriage ride off from the castle. I move along the trees so the suns rays deflect. After a long while, they arrive at a weird beehive thing made of candy and honeycomb. After she goes in, I fly in through one of the hexagon holes. It's some kinda meeting room with chairs and tables and junk...

Bonnie sits down on the end of a long table with a bee-human-thing, a pancake person and a bunch of other weird looking things.

I'm a little too high to hear what their saying. If only I could get closer …

_Turn Invisible..._ A little voice whispers in my mind. Where did that come from? Invisible? Yeah right... Still, I fancy the idea of turning invisible. Then I look down at my hands. I don't have any. In fact, my whole body is gone.

"AAAHH!" I let out an involuntary scream and temporarily lose control of my flight. I crash plummet down but stop myself just in the nick of time before I squish the pancake person. They all heard my voice and the room is up in murmurs.

"What was that?"

"Guards! Search the rooms!"

"What rooms? This is the only one!"

They all look about and don't notice me, just floating a couple of inches above the table.

I'm honestly invisible.

Awesome.

"Ahem, please refrain from screaming, Duchess French Toast. We all need this trade deal passed!"

"What?! It wasn't me-"

"So, what is the proposed heading, Queen Bee?"

They all talk like Bonnibel. All grown up and harsh and, ugh. Maybe what they need is a little scare. So I fly up to one of those chandeliers. They're made of cheese. I snap off some links with my hands and just watch the thing fall.

It smashes the table and caves the whole floor in. Maybe that was too much...

The whole room is in disarray. They run around like crazy chickens. But not Bonnibel. She's staring right up at me. She can't see me, but she's squinting real hard...

Right then the floor begins to crumble away even further. I can hear a really deep rumbling from something in the ground. The screaming intensifies as the last few structures of the floor give away. Some of the meeting people drop in. Stupid Bonnie slips while helping someone else. She plummets into the dark hole.

Aw geez. Her scream is sharp and piercing. A nagging tug is at my gut. Dropping my invisibility, I fly after her, full speed. I don't think anyone saw me, as they're too preoccupied scrambling to safety.

A waft of heat and sweet sugary smells hits me as I fly deeper. My night vision kicks in and I see the bottom. Wow, that was deep. Could she even have...

No, wait, there she is. Completely fine, Bonnie picks herself up and dusts her clothes. She flicks out a flashlight and of course shines it right at me. The light stings.

"Marceline."

"Ow, uh, hey," I say, trying not to squint.

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me you caused this?"

"Well, geez, no faith huh? Well I never knew cheese was so heavy."

"It isn't. There must've been a cavity there for a while now. You just broke it."

"Well, you need a lift?" I can't help but seize up a bit asking.

"Wait, I need to see if anyone is still trapped down here..."

There she goes again. She never seems to care about herself first. I guess it's because she's a "mother" but...

"What's that sound..."

I strain my ears and to my surprise they pop out, enlarged like a bats'. Am I transforming again? Well, now I can hear that rumbling too. Wait, rumbling ... underground?

"Ahh!"

A shrill cry comes from down the tunnel. Rocks begin to loosen and fall as the rumbling increases. Bonnibel runs toward the darkness like an idiot.

"Bonnie! Wait, ugh..." I fly after her.

Just a little away from the initial crash site is a spatter of syrup. An empty bottle person lies moaning and there's this vampiric worm belching syrup. As it roars, it thrashes it's tail against the walls.

"This must've been living here for generations, creating a cavern in the earth structures... Woah!"

I whisk Bonnie up from the worm's reach as it lunged. She's pretty light, and not sticky.

"Wha- Marceline, put me down!"

"I just saved you!" What an ingrate!

No time to argue though, the worm can sense food. It lunges again, higher this time, and tears off my left boot. Bonnibel lets out a sharp exclamation. I ignore it and make speed for the hole where we fell from.

Well that worm must've been a genius or something, because as I ascended upwards, sure we were safe, the things grows these wings and flies up after us. It's got little space so it rams against the sides of the earth, causing fissures and cascading rocks. I dodge a lot of them, but evading them slows me down. The dang worm snags my whole leg with it's mouth and begins dragging us back down. I sprout wings to try and flap harder, but I can't fight it.

Just then the whole place above must've caved in because a whole lot of debris poured in. The worm let go, but at that point, we were trapped and plummeting fast.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Bonnie is holding fast and her eyes are filled with fear. Her hands are tightly gripping me. I squeeze my eyes shut, feeling tears, and fold in my wings to form a sort of cover between us and the rubble. I don't know how long it takes for us to go splat.

I'm so, so sorry...


	34. Chapter 33: Empowerment

_ … Marceline. Wake up._

A voice is calling to me. From inside my head. It was the same one nagging at me before when I turned invisible...

_Face me._

I open my eyes to see a horde of red-eyed monsters before me. Front and center is the Vampire King, but he's been restored. His hair is lustrous like a mane, actually his whole face was like a lion. I look at his feet and they're chicken legs. But there's nothing funny here. These are all vampires... His army...

"Where am I?" Last I remember, I was hugging Bonnie and falling...

_Do you see all this before you, my Queen..._

With one sweep of his hand, the horde suddenly turns to nil. He holds his outstretched palm to me and I can see twinkling vapor clouds.

"Souls..."

_Yes. The Vampire Monarch is destined to house the souls of the dead, lost vampires. My Queen... We are all housed in you._

"What?"

_We and all our powers now lie in you. Where else do you get the ability to fly, to transform and such?_

"Get out of my head!"

_If you're to have our powers, this madness is what you will live with!_

"No... No, take it back! I don't want to be your stupid queen! I-"

_Do you truly not want this?_

An image forms in the darkness. When I was still with Simon.

"Simon, one day, you won't have to protect us from the oozers anymore."

"Why's that, Marcy?"

"Cuz I'll be able to beat them all up myself!"

"Oh you," He pats my head, smiling, and the image fades.

"No... I didn't – I really-" I feel a crushing grip close in, "I never wanted this..."

_Wake up. This is the price you pay for power. The moment I decided you would be Queen, this is your price. He may be gone. But you still desire to use this power. Do not lie_ _to me. Do not resist. We are part of you now. All your memories, thoughts … None of it is solely your anymore._

His voice begins to boom louder and louder.

_Now wake up, WAKE UP!_

"GAH!" I sit up, coughing sweet syrup. My eyes take a second to get adjusted to the darkness. We fell back down here to the tunnels. There's syrup everywhere. A thick layer has accumulated with bits and pieces of wood and earth.

Pink luminescence glows softly along the walls. I see the sugar rocks embedded emitting lights. They seem to illuminate the rail car tracks on the floor.

"...Bonnie?" I call out a little weakly. I was getting strangely ravenous. My vision was tinging redder by the second, "Hey, you still alive?"

I hear a groan.

"Bonnie!"

I quickly scan for something moving and I see it. It's the dang worm! And it's sinking its teeth into …

"RARH!" I ram into its head with all my strength. It teeters away a little, snarling. I pick Bonnibel up and fly in some random direction away from the thing.

She feels lighter … and cold... I don't look down and I feel my hands tremble holding her. My mind is racing. How do we get out of here...?

"SKREEEE!" The worm is coming, and fast. It smells of honey and syrup. I look back and see some piece of cloth on one of its fangs. It ate everyone else...

_CEASE._

The voice in my head hits like a wall. It's large and rudimentary, but it blocks everything else out. It doesn't sound like the vampire King...

_RETURN MY PREY._

Wait, was that … the worm?! Am I able to read its thoughts because of some vampire power? In that case, I should be able to talk to it too, right? I try to send a thought message.

_Stop chasing us._

The worm gives another shriek and speeds up its slither. Guess that didn't work.

"Unh..." I feel Bonnibel move. My pace slows just a step and suddenly I feel pain erupt from multiple points along my back.

"Ohh, crud..." Was all I could say as Bonnie slips through my hands.

…

When Marceline showed up, I was sure she was up to no good and look at that! She just ruined the Bee Kingdom Trade meeting! Then we get chased by a dang worm in the Rock Candy Mine Tunnels and then we're just falling...

Actually I'm still falling. Then I hit the floor and my crown rolls away. Everywhere hurts and it's all dark, save some blurry pink lights. I can feel two puncture holes near my waist. Wait, there's something snarling in the background...

I flick on my light beam setting of my watch and shine it at the belly of the worm beast. Is it, like, standing up? What the...

I shine along the body and freeze at the mouth. Multiple spires of what seem like bone are protruding out of Marceline from its mouth. She hangs there motionless as the worm seems to be sucking her fluids...

"MARCELINE!"

Oh, crud, I shouldn't have screamed. Worms can sense vibrations in the air. It spits Marceline out, leaving her lying on the floor. My heart's pounding out of my chest as the worm comes closer with its spires of goring death. I can't move.

…

"MARCELINE!" I heard someone call my name. My eyes crack open just a little to see Bonnie cornered by the worm. Stupid worm bit me from behind... My fingers have lost feeling and I can only feel fear seizing up … along with this weird feeling of my flesh crawling.

Suddenly my vision turns really red. Like red RED. My body seems to move without my needing to act so. I feel removed from my body as I see myself tear at the worm. It screeches and rears away from Bonnie. My hands turn to razor claws and thoroughly decapitate the worm. The head goes blah immediately but the body still squirms a little. It hist the side of a wall and I don't know what really happened next but sweet stuff began streaming out, filling the tunnel.

"He's broke into Lake Butterscotch! We've gotta get outta here!" Bonnibel shouts to me as the sticky fluid reaches her chin level.

I make a grab for her, then I plunge directly into the hole in the wall. Butterscotch fills my mouth and nose but I don't stop going up from there. Last I remember, I'm trying to keep my hold on Bonnie and it all just goes from butterscotch to darkness.

…

"Huh?"

Ice King stops in mid-flight. He's taking his usual route through Lake Butterscotch to Wizard City. Today, the lake looks a bit … stirred? Bubbly? Curious, he flaps down to its banks and scans the lakefront. Yup, huge bubbles were just coming from up the lake bottom.

He scratches his head, "Did a sea monster or something move in?"

Then one humongous bubble pops, spitting two girls out onto the surface. One is Princess Bubblegum. The other was Ash's lady friend.

"Oh!" He hurriedly freezes a raft and huddles in to fish them out before they sink. Luckily the Lake has high surface tension. Unfortunately, that made it hard to paddle. So he drags the boat while flying to the two unconscious teens. Gingerly, he lifts them out of the butterscotch and places them into the boat. Upon landing back on shore, he sees a peppermint Candy standing impatiently at the bank.

"Ice King!" The peppermint indignantly cries and runs towards the boat, "What the junk are you doing to Princess Bubblegum?!"

"Hey, buddy, I found her first!" The Ice King points a threatening finger at the approaching stranger, "She's mine!"

"You poor thing," the loyal candy jumps onto the rim of the boat, looking the king in the eye, "Is this how far it's driven you? This magic?"

"Hey, I said she's mine!"

Ice King's finger brims with magic, but before he can shoot Peppermint Butler throws a dust bomb in his face. He sputters and when the dust clears, the Candy and the Princess are gone.

"NOOOO!" He screams in fury, having been foiled.

Marceline, still inside the raft, stirs. She heard everything.


	35. Chapter 34: Schwabl

_ "Simon, have you ever heard of the Night-o-sphere?" Little Marcy takes care to sound the word out carefully._

_ "Wha? Huh, um, no, I-I can't remember..." Simon, forehead creased, tries to line the fire with old papers, "What is it? Some theme park, or...?"_

_ "Hmm," Marceline takes a deep whiff of the post-apocalyptic air, "Daddy says I'm the Princess there. He calls me his little monster princess."_

_ "Princess, huh? Then I guess..." His hands are shaking slightly at the word, "He's king?"_

_ "Mm, he calls himself a 'lord.' Wonder what that is, like a king I guess..." She turns and glances at the crown sideways, Hambo dangling from one hand, "But you're much more of a king with that crown, Simon."_

_ "Not a very good king, though," The 47-year old plops down with bones of an octogenarian, "Just some crazy old man, heh..."_

_ "That's not true, Simon..." The little girl wraps her arms around him from behind, uncomprehending of the underlying troubles, "Besides, I don't want to be a princess. They aren't any fun. I want to be a queen."_

_ "Oh yeah? And a kingdom and everything? All on your own?"_

_ "No, I'd have you with me silly. You're my king."_

_ "Oh, Marceline..." He pulls her into a bear hug, whispering inaudibly, "How do I explain all this madness to you?"_

_..._

"And so, I lay all my troubles down and..." I pause. That last note sounded wrong. Frowning, I pluck at the string repeatedly with different levels of tautness.

"Yo, Marceline!" Ash calls to me from below the canopy. I flit down and make him flinch from behind, "Yow! Hey, that is not fair."

"Yeah, sorry," I give him a hug, "So, how's it going?"

"Check this out," He conjures a snow ball out of thin air, "Neat huh?"

"Yeah..."

"What's up?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about this new song in my head..." Actually, the song was about Bonnie. After the whole meeting collapsed, I haven't seen her in a while now. Her little butler doesn't seem too fond of me anyway. I could honestly go another year without seeing her again. Maybe then she'd forget what happened and I won't have to apologize.

"Oh, I got you something," Ash digs in his endless pouch, "Today's our one year anniversary."

"Ohh, Ash..." That's nice he remembered. Me, I'd forgotten completely. It sucks I didn't get him anything.

"Don't freak out, but … I figured you needed a change of scenery. So I found you a new house!"

"WHAT?!" I screech like a crazed fangirl.

"Here, get on," He pats a spot next to him on the carpet. I get on and he closes my eyes, "No peeking. Go, carpet!"

It's not that trees are anything bad, but I have to admit, I'm dying to feel a couch or mattress after so long. Floating and lying in the air is fun too, but I feel like I'm missing out. I ride on his magic carpet to a shack on a secluded beach area. I can tell because the salt breeze is ticklish to my sensitive nose.

"Wow, I didn't even know there was a place like this that existed..." I breathe a little sigh of awe when he uncovers my eyes.

"You should explore more, Marceline. What's the fun in being immortal if you're just a homebody?"

"Umph," I kick some sand into the waves, "Ash... How long do wizards live?"

"Ha, longer than humans if that's what you mean. We can extend our lifespans through magic potions and junk," He opens the shack door, "Come on in."

It's a cozy setting. There's a spot on the floor for a fire, a pelt bed propped up against some old fishing rods and nets, and some other stuff to give the place a homey feel.

"Nice... And no one'll bother me out here," Through a small crack in the roof, I glimpse the stars, "Thanks again, Ash."

"Oh, it's not over yet!" Ash fishes out a piece of paper from his hip pouch, "You'll find my other present at the end of this _treasure hunt_!"

There are scribbles of words and instructions. Well, this ought to be fun.

"Are you coming with?"

"Hmm, pshaw, why not?"

"Ok, 'the old ruins south of Wizard City' – Hey, no fair, I don't know where the jack that place is! You never told me!"

Ash laughs as I punch his arm, "Wizards only, fool! Ok, ok, stop, that's hurts. I'll take you to the ruins, but that's your one freebie."

To my surprise, we arrive at the old human city, the parts that haven't been washed away by the tides of time, anyway. I shudder a little as we near a familiar section of the city. Then I see the name of that diner where me and Simon had visited before. It was the same diner I stayed with my dad. The name Schwabl is still visible.

"Remember you once told me about this place? You used to come here, right?"

"...Yeah … Why are we here...?" I shakily dismount the carpet.

"Go on inside. I put your present there," Ash lays down on the carpet, "I'll be out here for my 'thank-you' kiss."

"Haha..." I nervously laugh as I float near the entrance, "Don't push your luck..."

My hand hesitates before I grab the handle. In that instant, the glass just shattered to smithereens. I float over the little pile of glass into the store. It's dark, and I would have been afraid if not for my night vision. Those … things used to be here. They disturbed me and Simon when we would raid for food. I look down on the floor to see dried green ooze. It's been here a while.

There's a low whine from the back of the store. I quickly go to see what it is. And I see red. Red fur.

It's a poodle. A red poodle. It looks at me with black, shiny eyes and yawns before casually trotting up to me. It barks at me just once.

I guess I hadn't eaten much that day, because I was ravenous. This red thing in front of me suddenly seemed like a giant meatball or something drenched in red. I grab it before it can yip and sink my fangs into the small, warm body.

It flails in my grip helplessly. I can feel the bones about to snap as I grip harder, bite deeper. The red fur becomes white and the legs dangle by the time I snap out of it and pull back.

"Ah..." I feel sick looking at this lifeless body in my hands. I still feel its heart beat faintly, but it's dying. All because of me …

"ASH!"

I burst out of the diner. Ash falls off his carpet. He quickly scrambles to his feet and runs to me. I feel his hand against my trembling body. I'm sure I'm a fright right now, with blood and fur on my clothes and face.

"M-Marcy … What happened … Oh."

His eyes rest on the white lump in my arms. His gaze shifts between the dog and my face. Then he swallows, mounting the carpet.

"Come on. I know what to do."

…

"I can't believe you got me a red dog! What were you thinking?!"

"Oh I dunno! I thought maybe you'd like it, and, oh, not chew on it?" He yells to me as the scenery flies by atop the magic carpet.

I sniff, too busy to retort. The poor thing is just shivering. I nearly drained it all. Wherever Ash is taking us, I hope it works. It'd suck if the gift he got me just died the day I got it.

"... I'm sorry Ash..." My voice lowers, "You must've worked your butt off to find this..."

"... It's alright. I shoulda gotten another color."

I feel something wet on my hand. I look down to see the little dog licking my hand with its little tongue. Strange, after I almost killed it, its licking me so endearingly...

"I'll call you Schwabl, cuz' I found you there. And don't worry. Ash'll fix you right up," I doubt it understood me. I call out to Ash, "Are we there yet?"

"Wait … Ah, yep!" The carpet jerks to a sudden stop by some bushes. We both dismount and Ash gestures me to hide behind the bushes, "Keep quiet, alright? This is a delicate process..."

I peer over the foliage a little. A ring of weirdos are having lunch around some old dusty book. Gob they look ridiculous! One has a yellow pointed head and green jeweled eyes. Another has pitch black hair covering every inch of his body.

"What do we want with these old farts?" I whisper to Ash a little impatiently. The weirdos started talking about the weather and scones.

"We gotta ask them for that tome. But we gotta be smooth. These are heads of the traveling Magic Troupe. They are seriously-"

I shove Schwabl into his arms and turn invisible before he can protest. Then, quickly, I snatch the heavy book from its place. The weirdos jump up and start hopping for the book, which was not invisible. I landed my foot and a fist in their faces and they dropped like a rock. I revert to visibility.

"Done."

Ash's jaw drops, "I can't … I can't believe you just did that! Those were-"

"Yeah, yeah, now what do we do with this book?"

Ash looks a bit miffed I threw his diplomacy plan out the window, but he gives up and gets down to flippin' through the book with me. Eventually, he finds a page labeled "Zombification for the Dying."

"Alright, this is the spell. We just gotta follow the instructions..."

…

Schwabl, a newly made zombie poodle, runs playfully about in the sandbar by my new home. I laugh a little as it runs between my legs. It's as if it's still a live animal. I can't tell the difference.

"This is great, Ash. Thanks so much."

"How about that kiss now?"

"Heh, I'm a little tired, to be honest," I smile wryly, "But sure. Close your eyes."

He does as I tell him to. I pick Schwabl up to his face and he gets a big helping of zombie dog slobber.

"Eugh! Zombie spit...!"

"Hey, watch it," I laugh, "I'm undead too,"

"Ha ha, very funny... Alright. I gotta get going for my night lesson. I'll be back tomorrow," He clambers onto his carpet, "See you."

I wave good bye and he swooshes away. I do feel a little bad about winging my gift like that. The forest's edge rustles lightly in the night wind. I close the door and jump on the bed. It's like being a little kid, rolling on new sheets to get a good feel. Only these weren't new. I spend a good deal picking dust and lint out of my hair. Then I get an idea.

"Y'know, even if we're undead, it doesn't mean we have to smell the part."

I grab Schwabl and take off my clothes on the sandbar. Without another thought, I dive into the freezing seawater. Immediately I regret the idea.

"Yow!" That water is COLD! I jump out, shivering on shore. Schwabl trots on top of a protruding rock and shakes the water droplets from his fur.

"Sorry, boy," I hastily don my clothes, feeling the night chill, "Geez, it's cold..."

"그곳에!"

"WAH!" I jump as a multicolored laser of some sort blasts just near where I'm standing. I grab Schwabl and take to the air, "What the junk?! Hey, who's there?!"

"그 개!" A couple of weird looking unicorns come out from the fringe of bushes, "빠른 , 그것을 얻을!"

They rapidly seem to expand before my eyes. Their bodies are longer than a normal horse, and are more like a snake's body. Plus, they look like walking rainbows with a mop of hair on both ends. They shoot those colorful lasers from their horn. One grazes my leg, turning it purple. It doesn't exactly _hurt_ but you'd be pretty freaked out if your leg suddenly turned purple.

"What the jizz!?" I had to ditch these guys. So I whiz past them and into the forest. I'll admit I was flying a bit blindly. Next thing I know, I fly right into a tree. The impact should have split my face. I slide down slowly, like in cartoons.

"Oww..." I flop on my back. Schwabl licks my face in his cute, little zombie way. I can't help but feel ticklish, "Okay, hey. I'm alright."

I dust myself and look around. I think I lost those weird horses, but what part of the woods is this? Well, I had a whole night to kill, so I'll see if I can't find my way back myself. Schwabls could use a walk, so fly low. The forest is pretty quiet. I take a turn at some tree and all of a sudden, it's snowing.

"Oh, wow..." I look up and up at some giant icy mountain surrounded by snow clouds. Then I remember the creep who must live here.

"C-C'mon Schwabl, let's-"

"Wenk."

That stupid penguin! I don't know, I still remember when this thing gave me a nightmare or something... I get weird vibes from it. Ice King calls it Gunther, I think.

"Gunther, shoo!" But the penguin just starts clinging onto my leg, "Hey, get-get off!"

"Hey, Gunther, have you seen my - OH!" Of course Ice King would fly in at the worst possible moment, "Dude! Respect a lady's private space! Not cool!"

Luckily, he does pry the penguin off my leg. Then he's just looking at me. Schwabl hides behind my legs.

"So... You okay now or..."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply scathingly, though he did rescue me and Bonnie at that lake, "I didn't need your concern."

"Fine, fine, Ice King gets the hint. For a second there though," He rubs his hairy beard, "I thought Gunther saw more of those humans or something. I dunno, something weird's been prowlin' around, taking my snow!"

"Humans?" I can't believe my ears. There are other survivors of the war? Leaving the old man to his mumbling, I grab Schwabl and fly back into the forest. That's right, if I draw deep into my power of smell, I should be able to … found 'em! I immediately fly in the scents direction.

Something in me jumps at knowing there may still be some normal people alive. Even if I'm no longer normal. The part of me that's happy also has this weird elation to it. Like what happens when a predator has finally cornered prey-

I stop mid flight. I can feel it. Vampiric hunger. All those souls of deceased vampires the King showed me … they desire blood. Real red, not color. That water of life that circulates the living body. I hadn't fed before, never. I was always too afraid to kill.

But now, I'm in control. I force the voices to quell and I resolve to meet those humans. These people who are possibly the last in existence … I feel an urge to protect them, _like a farmer watches his cattle grow for slaughter_. What horrifying thoughts.

"... Come on, Schwabl," I pick up my pet and ruffle his curls a little before floating back to the beach, "Let's go exploring tomorrow. We've got a lot of time on our hands anyway."

…

Those weird unicorns from yesterday are gone. I stretch out leisurely, feeling the sand under my toes. It's weird. At night, the sand is cold but the water is warmer. Still too cold to go swimming, though. At least my leg's back to normal.

"Yo, Marceline."

"Hey!" I hug Ash, "How're your lessons going? Do you have any free time? I wanna make up for getting you slobbered."

"Aw, sorry, babe," He chuckles, "Magic Man is just so awesome. I wanna be a wizard as powerful as him. So I can't take off any time soon. Maybe after the classes are over?"

"Pfft, whatever," I didn't mean to sound mercurial, but being blown off for magic classes is pretty pooching.

"C'mon, don't be like that …" He leans in and smooches my cheek lightly. That always made me feel a little better, "How're you liking your new neighborhood?"

"It's nice. I see the stars at night, and it's quiet. Oh," I jump up, "I almost forgot, the weirdest junk happened after you left yesterday."

I tell him about the weird horses I saw with sausage bods. He listens, I think.

"...So, any idea what they were?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, they're color-unicorns or somethin'..." He yawns, "Dang, these night classes really take the pump outta ya..."

"You gotta take a break. Dang son," I pull the sides of his face so they stretch, "I see those dark circles. They might be permanent."

"Wha?! Really?!" He straightens up quick, then sees me laughing, "Oh, very funny, Marceline."

"No, seriously. I don't age, but you do, right?"

"Pfft. Maybe not for long. Magic Man's got some sweet magic all the way from Mars! I'll bet he can make me immortal too!"

"Immortal and eternal youth are two different things, Ash," Still, I can't help but hope he could find some way to live forever young. Then we could be together forever, "So what about those unicorns..."

"Uh, le'see... after the war, they were responsible for reducing a lot of the humans. Nowadays, they're at war or something. Who knows, they don't got much to do with us wizards."

"Woof. They turned my leg purple! It turned back, but still. They are some nasty biz," I look down at the sand, "Wonder if any humans are out there...?"

I must've spoken too softly, because Ash is just going on and on now about whatever Mars is, like he didn't eve hear what I said. I can only listen, albeit bored. He's really on board with this Magic Man dude and whatevs. Maybe I should meet this guy sometime.

"Oh yeah," Ash turns to me suddenly, "Whatever happened to that band you were shootin' for?"

Oh, he remembered.

Truth is, I'd been a little embarrassed about the whole thing. It kinda fell apart before it ever came true. After the thing with Shouko and the Honey Kingdom, PB and I were definitely not talking to each other any time soon. My three gang members probably skedaddled back to the Underworld. Can't trust those guys for nothin'. So yeah, that never really amounted to anything, not one concert.

"...We disbanded."

"Oh," He places a hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry. I've heard you play, and you don't need a band. Maybe another time."

"Thanks Ash."

"Now I gotta go, but I'll see you tomorrow okay?" He looks to Schwabl, "And you be a good boy, okay?"

My poodle looks at him with that vacant expression. He laughs and speeds off on his carpet. As I watch him leave, a huge wave catches me off guard, dousing me and Schwabl.

"Puh! Ugh, gross..." I lift my arms to find slimy seaweed, "Schwabl, you okay bo-"

I turn to see a Giant Goldfish dredged in the sand with Schwabl's hind legs sticking out of its fish lips. I grab my bass and swing it up. The fish begins frantically flopping towards the water.

"OH NO YOU DON"T! GIMME BACK MY DOG!"

Even though the stupid fish didn't make a sound, a wave came up as though summoned. With it can a whole school of the same fish. They were huge! And they all looked the same! Which one ate Schwabl?! I gotta find him before they flop back to the water. So I start hacking them up one by one. Let me tell you now, fish are not fun to cut up. They smell and they're just, ugh...

Before I knew it, I'd pretty much hacked up the whole school of beached fish. Schwabl pokes his little head out innocently from one of the fish's guts.

"Schwabl! Ugh..." I scoop him up but hold him away from me. Being inside a fish's guts makes you smell worse than Death with bad breath, "We both probably smell like Simon's old socks..."

So I spent the rest of the evening bathing myself and my dog.


End file.
